Pursued by Eric Northman
by ame1293
Summary: Evas just a server at the Pyramids of Giza hotel, but while working the Vampire Summit she can't help being noticed by the high status vamps, particularly one Mr Northman. Its a struggle not to be sucked into the conflicted world of vampire politics.
1. Chapter 1

**I haven't been on fanfiction for a good three years atleast but after reading all the true blood books, watching all the episodes, obsessing and lusting over the characters, I couldn't resist ;)**

**A story for those who've read the books, but if your reading without having done so – sookie, Eric and bill are at the vampire convention on the shores of lake Michigan under Sophie annes court, who is on trial for murdering her husband, of which she's innocent. **

**Chapter 1**

In the lobby of the Pyramids of Giza hotel, vampires swarmed like bees to a hive. Stalls lined the walls and elegant undead purveyed them in their posh frocks and expensive jewellery, diamonds as glossy as the skin of the wearers.

Eric Northman watched them go by, leaning his tall lean body against a door frame. He was watching for his little pretty blonde pursuit of late. She would saunter in looking all mouth watering, maybe with Sophie-Anne and her followers. Eric smiled to himself, the thought of her blonde hair falling past her shoulders and lying dormant on her eye-catching chest.

Bill Compton stood at his stall, watching the door for Sookie just as Eric did. His business was being greatly successful but in his unbeating heart, he couldn't be happy. His glance swept the room and he noticed Eric slouching across the room. Bill Compton knew exactly what he was waiting for.

In the kitchen area staff was busy as ever, scurrying in and out, restocking their trays with the long champagne flutes filled with thick red blood substitute, and the occasional actual alcoholic beverage for the odd leisurely human. Some servers were bored stiff, some were tired, but most we're excited to be in such close proximity with so many of the once legendry creatures.

Eva, however, was amongst the tired. She slumped against a counter for a minute to catch her breath and give her feet a moment of ease. The uniform for tonight was as tricky to work in as tricky got, the tight white blouse was pretty average, but the skirt she'd been provided with was far too short for a moral girl to feel comfortable in, and she suspected a size to small. It squeezed her in at the waist then clutched her thighs momentarily, stopping abruptly around the higher part of her thigh. It also rolled up frequently and it was hard to find a quiet moment to fix it, or tug it down a bit without looking unprofessional in the main room. While the other girl servers had taken the objective of the uniform on board, leaving their long legs bare and on show, Eva had hastily pulled on a pair of sheer black tights before she left. The black stilettos hurt like the seven shades of hell at that moment in time. She smoothed her skirt down and inch or so and took a breather until she noticed her manager swaying across the kitchen. Grabbing her tray she bustled out the swinging doors.

The main room would be overheating with the amount of bodies in it if the majority of them weren't walking, talking corpses. The room was cool as an evening breeze, but Eric missed the smell of sweet human bodies. As a male server strode past him he took a long sniff, the smell of pumping blood filling his nostrils. Shame about the gender. He began wandering, trying to stray nearer the female servers. One delectable little human girl past him, her mousy brown hair escaping its bun and framing her petite face. Eric breathed in deep and imagined the sheer joy of chasing her through the undergrowth as she shrieked and cried. The ecstasy of pinning her struggling body down and biting into her soft flesh.

On the other side of the room, Eva smiled falsely and held out the tray to a group of snobby looking vampires, who lazily chatted then reached for glasses.

"Thank you young lady," one older male drawled at her. She nodded to him and turned to carry on circulating but he shuffled in closer.

"I'm sure waitressing isn't the best money maker," he hissed, moving closer towards her. Eva had been in situations like this plenty, she was hardly unnerved nowadays.

"Its suiting me just fine sir, so please, I have to continue."

"I'll find you shall I?" He carried on as if she hadn't just dismissed him.

"No thank you, I'm flattered but I have to work."

"Later."

"No sir, please," she snapped abruptly and walked on. It was when they carried on past the initial suggestion that irked her.

He took another step as she took several small ones, then as she thought she was moving out of his range, he appeared by her side laying his hands on her arm.

"Please leave me," she whispered as politely as she could muster, trying not to create the beginnings of a scene.

"I've missed the pursuit of women; delicious women who had morals and try to resist the lure of our kind, your no cheap whore are you? You need a pursuit? Or is this an act?" He teased, his greying hair (presumably like that when he was turned) sweeping Eva's forehead as he moved his face close to hers.

"No, I'm just doing my job," she cried, struggling to control her volume. Spinning to walk away and pull her arm out of his fingers, he clutched on, then as she was tugging her hardest he gave up and let go.

With a resounding clatter, Eva crashed to the floor. The glasses on her tray smashed to the floor, the blood within splattering onto the dresses and suits of those surrounding. Within a few moments, Eva was crumpled on the floor surrounded by a ring of angry vampires. Breathing uneasy and scared to raise her gaze, she got up, looking at the floor, her cheeks burning red with shame.

"Your wages for the year couldn't afford this dress," a blonde vamp hissed, rage clear in her voice. Eva was sure she wasn't lying and was about to mumble and apology when she was knocked back down, a slender redhead vampire pinning her down, fangs extracted. The bottom of her green cocktail dress was swathed in the red liquid.

"Yes and your lowly wages for rest of your life couldn't afford mine."

Eva was sure this was a bit of an exaggeration, but helpless under this formidable woman's mercy was no time to point that out. Eric had noticed the commotion, and was pushing through the crowd surrounding the scene to see what was going on.

There was a harsh click clack of heels, and Eva's manager pushed through the crowd.

"Miss, please refrain from tackling our guests," she said in her smooth cool voice, which fit in well amongst the vamps. "I am sorry for the trouble caused by my employee and you will be fully reimbursed for your attire, but it was made very clear my servers should not be harassed and this young girl was clearly approached."

Approached, one way to put it, through Eva angrily, God damn vamps always quick to blame the human, ready to bite off our lowly heads.

"I expect full payment as well," snapped a male vampire with a blood splattered blouse. Eva scrabbled up as the redhead released her and stood upright.

"I'll get a rag," she said breathlessly, needing an excuse to get out of the circle of people. From her managers glare she was probably fired anyway.

"Maybe you can take of your shirt and mop it with that," leered a male voice, and sniggers from the crowd followed.

Mmm, I'd like to see that, though Eric slyly, laying eyes on the young frazzled girl. Her attempts to cover her legs with tights and unsuccessfully with her skirt made her look sweet, and her large dark eyes were captivating. She was probably the curviest waitress in the room, her shapely thighs almost lost in the dark material and her curved hips apparent under her blouse, which was sticking to her skin from being doused in the synthetic blood. His fangs we're beginning to involuntarily appear and his breathing course as he watched her try and peel the wet, glistening red fabric from her skin.

Eva had never felt more shameful in her life, soaked and humiliated in front of this room of the elite of the vampire world. She turned slightly and walked away to the kitchen, but before she left the circle she felt the intent gaze of the tall blonde vamp amongst the mocking stares of the others, and angry stares of some. Taking a peep, she made quick eye contact with him, his fangs hanging out like a dogs tongue as he watched her. Disgusting, she thought. She couldn't deny he was smoulderingly attractive but him fang lusting over her unnerved her. She scurried out of his gaze, but his face was blazed in her mind now. Intent and longing, Eric Northman tried to push the lust out of his mind as he walked away, but her innocent frightened doe-like expression was weighted heavily on his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize if I got the order of the nights wrong; I read the book again a month ago but it's with a friend now so I can't really refer to it now. So if the trial, blood bond, etc is in the wrong order, blame my friends ;) Although I suppose this is my story, my take on it. So, whatever :D**

The sun was setting and Eva stretched out on her sofa, contemplating whether to call in sick and have a normal night's sleep. She was lucky to still have a job after the previous night though, the disaster in the lobby. It may not be the most interesting or admirable of jobs but she had rent to pay. Plus, the hotel paid well for just waitresses, probably due to the hours.

Eva went to change into a clean white blouse and skirt, and get ready to go serve the vampires that were driving her mad.

…

In the Pyramids of Giza hotel, Eric Northman was rising. He rose slightly ahead of nightfall, mostly due to his impressive age. He woke quickly and looked out the window at the dying sun. With a mischievous grin on his face, he made his way down to the ballroom where Sophie Anne's tribunal was to be held. He wondered what Sookie would wear tonight, how delectable she would look. Bill Compton would be being the entrepreneur he was, safely out the way. Not that Bill Compton could stand in his way.

Eva was arriving through the front entrance; the employee entrance was blocked of tonight. The Fellowship of the Sun was gathering support and their daily (or rather, nightly) protest we're in danger of growing violent. Traitor humans who serve their enemies would be their first targets, cowards.

Therefore, instead of shuffling in round the back of the hotel, Eva strode in through the front door, her heels clattering the marble floors. She didn't have the light footed grace of the vamps walking around her, and stood out like a sore thumb. Nevertheless, she marched onwards to the kitchens, praying and wishing and hoping for a smooth night.

Though the number of protesters where overwhelming by this point and the employee entrance would be a dangerous place to admit the young vulnerable waitresses, it could still have arguably been fate that led Eva back across the path of Eric Northman. He strode down the arched hallways, curious on the nights coming events and intent on finding his little blonde bombshell. At the same time, Eva Hunter strode across the lobby, head held high and hair bobbing round her bloused shoulders.

Eric entered the lobby as she crossed his path, quite literally. She walked past him, hips swaying in a womanly way that made his mouth water instantly. He stopped short as he caught sight of her for the second time, and stood in the middle of the corridor watching her innocently strut by. He swore he could smell, from all the way across the room, smell her feminine scent so strongly.

Eric wasn't the only one watching the young girl attend her job. From the other end of the lobby, Felipe De Castro, king of Nevada, sat most upright on one of the leather sofas, surrounded by his men and a few loyal subjects. He watched Eva with intent, remembering her clumsy accident the day before, but also remembering the way the old vampire who'd caused it was so interested in her. There was something appealing about Eva, something he couldn't put his finger on. She walked out the lobby to the ballroom in sweet bliss, unaware of the eyes following her, wondering about her.

The ballroom was already awash with vamp elite, they sauntered around oozing sophistication and a dark threatening demeanour. It had been set up for the trial of Sophie Anne Leclerq. A few pale heads turned as Eva shuffled through the door, a few mocking toothy smiles appearing. She was proud though, and entered the kitchens, leaving the unblinking eyes on the other side of the revolving door. Though she could handle stares, she still found herself sighing a sigh of relief.

The night was hectic, heaving with people gathering to see whether the queen of Louisiana was found guilty. Eva cared little for vampire politics and served her drinks without making eye contact, smiling or engaging any vamps in conversation. She may lose a few sly tips she normally gets (at the prestigious Pyramids of Giza vampire hotel, tipping the waitress was mostly seen as a thing only done in small town bars), but it was worth it to avoid trouble. She'd already been spotted though, she'd been thrown in the headlights of the vampire's attention and that was rarely a good thing for a young girl like her. She had family and good friends, and wanted nothing more than to find a man to take care of her, love her, and have a family with her. Getting dragged into vampire conflicts was in no way shape or form part of her plan. Though, she did accept a job at a vampire hotel. In fact she inquired and interviewed and hoped for a job at a vampire hotel. While all her wholesome lovely plans were all well and good, she was clearly denying her curiosity for the other half that clearly burned in her.

Eric sauntered across the hall, his eyes dead set on her. Eva held the tray lower so a shorter vamp could take a drink, and as she was quite pleasant, gave her a smile. Eva whirled round, tray still held low.

"You'll have to hold it higher for someone of my stance," he quipped, full in her face as she turned.

"Oh sweet Jesus…" she exclaimed, jumping slightly. Eric simply responded with a low throaty laugh. "I'm sorry, you scared me." She held the tray up to him and he slowly took a glass flute and raised it to her before drinking deeply, keeping his eyes on her the whole time. Eva inwardly sighed; these male shows didn't impress her. As Eric opened his mouth to say something else, she gave a polite nod and spun on her heels to go on her working way. Still gaping in sheer shock of her walking away from him, eyes narrow and angry, Eric swore he heard a chuckle from across the room and he swore it was aimed at him.

Eva found a quiet moment to herself to take a break, and warned off or not, she threw her apron onto the kitchen counter and marched out the employee door for some air. It was a cool night, with a cloudy sky that blocked out the stars. Leaning against the cold brick wall, she inhaled and exhaled slowly and repetitively. There we're plenty of pretty girls knocking about the hotel, plenty of pretty human girls, why did several of the vamp parties continue to trail her every move. Eva wasn't totally naïve and stupid, she could feel their stares boring into her wherever she went tonight. Not the mocking stares she expected after the previous night, she could feel looks that held intent, focus to them. She caught sight of eyes watching her in the reflection of the shiny bar or the metal kitchen doors from time to time. It was tiring her out, putting her on edge. She was just a waitress, she just wanted to do her job and get paid and go home and get some sleep and live a normal day life.

"Eva? What are you doing out here? What's wrong with you? You were warned." The gruff voice snapped behind her making her jump a few inches. She was also sick of being crept up on. Daniel, not quite her boss but still higher than her – being an events coordinator assistant for events at the Pyramids of Giza hotel, stood behind her looking cross. He may be higher than her, but they we're friends and who was he to tell her of for getting some air when she was long due a break.

"I'm sorry, does it look like I'm being bombed, kidnapped or raped? I'm having a few vamp free minutes if that's alright with you." She said it harsher than she intended, but she was in a fully foul mood

"I'm just worried, you don't need to bite my head off," he retorted before going back in and slamming the door behind him.

"Gits," she snarled, slightly out of character, before storming back in herself.

Eric was in an equally grim mood, and was having fantasies of pinning her down and taking a bite out of the little brat. How dare she ignore him? These fantasies were satisfying in more ways than anger release of course. He wondered whether to ignore her completely, she'd miss out on his attentions. No... He was curious about her, intent on her. Her sweet naïve expression yesterday contrasted greatly to the fiery determined girl that stamped out of the kitchens.

Raising his head and catching sight of her, he immediately made his way over to her as she served more drinks to the ever thirsty crowd. Her mouth was pressed into a hard line and she hardly looked the ideal waitress.

Eric put his empty glass down on her tray, with considerable force and Eva staggered slightly with the tray. She looked up and scowled at him, close to bearing her teeth and growling at him.

"You are a terrible waitress," Eric snapped, somewhat pathetically. It was hardly his persona to throw cheap insults, especially out of the blue like that.

"Well you suck," she retorted. It was possibly the worst comeback ever but she held her head and looked fierce nonetheless. From across the room there were a few sniggers.

Eric was close to seeing red, if he were human his hands would be shaking. His fangs snapped into place faster than Eva could count to one and he leaned in close, giving her the full display of them.

"Yes. I do suck," he growled at her in a deep threatening voice. The headstrong girl held her own and stared straight into the fang show, more laughter behind her. Eric was sure his fellow vamps were getting much amusement from the delicate girl's rebellion and Eva was sure her manager was watching furiously. At that moment in time however, neither cared. Both stared into the others defiant face, a deep anger and a deep something else taking place between them.

"Don't bully the young girl Eric," teased a cool voice from across the room. Eric looked up to meet the interveners gaze and Eva took at it as a chance to walk away.

"Young _woman_," she muttered as she swayed of into the kitchen. Eric looked back to see her walk away from him _again _and snarled under his breath.

"I quit!" cried Eva, throwing her apron into the laundry basket in the corner. Daniel was stood on the other end of the room flicking through papers on a clipboard. He looked up at her in surprise.

"What happened to two weeks' notice?"

"What happened to the no harassment policy here? You tell that to my manager and see what she says about two weeks notice."

Daniel sighed, he'd calmed down since there quick conflict between them but she clearly hadn't. Laying down his clipboard he walked over and took her hand.

"Stay, calm down, and stay. We can talk about whatever's happening but you don't need to quit."

"Oh I do, I may not be an expert but I know once you've got a vamps attention, you can't just shrug it off. I can see nothing but trouble in this job. I'm sorry."

She squeezed his hand gently then walked away. She carried on walking, past the socialising vamps, through the lobby and straight to the front door. She was about to push the door open when a pale hand extended in front of her, ushering her back.

"I'm sorry miss; can I just have a moment of your time before you so proudly leave?"

Turning, Eva was faced with a tall stony faced vampire with a bony face. He had harsh, angry looking eyes but a smile, presumably false, on his lips.

"A moment, a small moment, yes."

"I am Vincent; I work for Felipe De Castro, King of Nevada. The King couldn't help but notice your entertaining display of defiance."

"Well…I'm glad I amused him."

"You more than amused him, miss." His voice was smooth as glass and just screamed 'menacing authority'. "You interested him, and more importantly you interested Mr Eric Northman, Sherriff of area five in Louisiana."

"The tall blonde who seems to enjoy putting his face to close to mine?"

"The very one."

"What about him?"

"Mr Castro intends to do business with Mr Northman, and a little persuasion wouldn't hurt. A bit of temptation to work with the enemy if you get me?"

Oh the vampire world, it's just all fun and games, Eva thought grimly.

"You're interested in me because the tall angry blonde is?"

"Precisely. Money isn't an obstacle."

"He's hardly interested in me, more like pissed off."

"Oh trust me miss, you've won his attention."

"Well that's nice, but I've just quit one job for fear of getting involved with you lot, no offense, it would be against my better judgement to accept another being used as 'vampire leverage'. I'm sorry."

"None taken and I'm sorry myself to hear that, here's my card just in case you change your mind. Better judgement doesn't pay the bills."

Eva nodded; taking the card he held out to her in his bony fingers and walked out the door, stepping out into the cool night time, dazed and confused.

**Thank you for your nice reviews :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay dokay, so from now on its probably a BIG plus to have read the book, but if not I'll fill you in. warning – big spoilers as it plays along with some of the major happenings of the book, course it's my work of fanfiction but It's a story of another characters journey, a sub-story, somewhat. **

**Eric has formed a blood bond with Sookie to save her from having it with Andre, Sophie Anne's right hand man, as they want to keep Sookie loyal and for her to be able to respond whenever one of the Louisiana vamps require her. This happened the previous night after the trial, after my Eva left.**

Eric Northman awoke and immediately felt Sookie's warm emotions surging through his body. He was so totally fixated with what she was feeling tonight, the night right after the bond. Somewhere in the hotel, Sookie was anxious and uncomfortable. Eric could feel it, her emotions ran alongside his. Many argued that vampires couldn't feel emotions, but there was something definitely. A spark not exactly life a humans, but definite feelings.

He changed his clothes quickly, tossing aside his crumpled shirt and pants. He looked in the mirror, staring at his high pale cheekbones and his perfectly blonde hair. The colour was so alike to Sookie's; it was almost an identical colour. Eric pictured her hair trailing through his as they'd lie together, then he pictured other things that would happen as they'd lie together. With a mischievous smile, he went to find his blood bonded beauty.

…

Eva sat in the lobby of the Pyramids of Giza hotel. She felt uncomfortable in her clothes, as she always seemed to here, but she wasn't in her server's uniform tonight. She wore black pants, and a purple silky blouse, that luxurious purple. She chose it because despite it being a simple high street blouse, the colour made it look much classier than it was – and classy was what this place demanded. Unfortunately, classy wasn't in her budget, but she was still proud of herself. She had her black work stilettos on, and her deep chestnut hair wasn't restricted by its normal bun. Instead it flowed freely past her shoulders in its little almost curly waves. Lastly, her makeup was slightly heavier tonight, and she'd adorned some small silver jewellery. She was very, very aware however, that she still looked like a poor pretty human girl. She screamed vulnerability, and no matter how fierce she looked or how straight and elegant she sat, she could not shake it.

The lobby was less packed tonight, nevertheless still teeming. The interstate vampires walked by each other with deliberate threatening stances. Eva wondered how they could be bothered being so damn territorial all the time. In her line of work she'd heard all the negotiations over drinks; she was vaguely familiar with the strict codes of conduct between vampire state, and vampire's individual areas.

Eric Northman was striding down the corridor, same as the previous night. However there were very different thoughts on his mind. He thought of Sophie Anne and her now powerful double state, and he thought of Bill Compton, how he'd finally won what he had lost and knew he still loved. He mostly thought of Sookie though, and he could feel her think of him. He could feel her mind and urges and lusts intertwined with his, and he could feel her presence getting nearer.

Why am I here, wondered Eva. She smoothed down her trousers and sighed. Just four hours prior she'd been sat on her sofa, in pyjamas, eating toast and staring past the telly at the pile of bills on the window sill. They had been mounting up for a while, and waitressing wasn't cutting it. She was considering getting a roommate or moving into a smaller place, but her flat was small enough as it was. It was in a nice area, which was what made it pricey, but she couldn't face moving further downtown. I sleep through my mornings, and work at night when lights would be on, so why is my electricity bill so damn high, she thought grimly. Rolling of the sofa and shuffling into the kitchen, she noticed Vincent's card on the worktop where she'd abandoned it last night. She toyed with it for a bit, flicking it with her fingers; they walked back through to the living room and threw it in the waste paper bin. Twenty minutes later after calculating her near debt, she fished it out again.

Eric marched through the lobby, but no fate or funny circumstances brought them face to face tonight. He breezed through, not noticing or smelling her with his mind so focused on another woman. While Eva was looking at her feet, bored and wondering when the unpunctual vampires would meet her. Eric entered the large hall where most vampires where socialising, and others had set up stalls. Within seconds he was by Sookie's side, running his fingers through hers and questioning her on the progress of her day.

"Miss Hunter?" a glassy voice inquired. Eva didn't jump this time, she was almost getting use to these people taking her by surprise.

"Yes, that's me." Her eyes met a new vampire as she looked upwards. He was incredibly attractive, she imagined Spanish originally as his skin, while still having that dusty quality, was somewhat coloured and his almond eyes we're more gentle than some of the others.

"I am Lucio." Definitely Spanish. "I work for Felipe de Castro and am here to talk to you tonight about his proposition."

"Do you know your name means light?" Eva said absentmindedly. He gave a short boyish chuckle, out of character of your typical vampire. Eva wondered if he was still young, turned recently. There seemed to be more gentleness and life in his eyes than the others, but maybe it was more about attitude or how much they fed rather than age. She wasn't that in the loop on vamps.

"No I did not, how do you know that?" he inquired, taking her hand and leading her towards the bar.

"I ended up watching a Spanish novella one afternoon, with subtitles of course, and a character, Lucio, was talking about his name. When you work in the night and sleep for the first half of the day, you find yourself watching crap daytime telly a lot. Not to say Spanish television is crap, just this particular show…"

Lucio gave another laugh, deeper and longer this time, as they walked through the bar and settled on stools.

"You are quite entertaining Miss Hunter."

"Please, Eva. I mean I'm sure familiar with your first name now…" Another deep rumble chuckle.

"Okay then, Eva. I could have casual banter here with you for a good portion of the night," There was a suggestive glint in his eye as he said this, more cheeky than anything. Cheeky being a quality rarely seen in a vampire. "However, I was sent here with instructions on making a deal with you. You have gained the attention of many of our kind recently."

"Many? I only count the one."

"Mr Northman? Yes well he may have been one of the more obviously attentive, but others have their eyes on you. You seem to capture a certain interest from us. I can't say why though."

"Wonderful." She may have been sarcastic, but somewhere inside she was vaguely flattered. Scared, but flattered.

"Well, whatever your take on it, its happening. We, the vampires of Nevada, would like you to join our entourage before others approach you."

"…Entourage? Good lord, you lot are like hyped Hollywood starlets."

Lucio's fangs shot out before she could finish her sentence.

"It is unwise to joke about our ways Eva."

She needed to not get ahead of herself, or she'll get her head bitten of faster than she could pray for mercy. Eva was learning this.

"I'm sorry…you're just all very…"

"Pompous?"

"No…" she said unconvincingly. Eva breathed a sigh of relief as his fangs retracted and he smiled gently.

"Our ways may seem rigid and over the top, but I assure you they are necessary. Now, despite your apparent clumsy tendency to overstep you're mark, will you consider joining the vampires of Nevada?"

"Which entails what?"

"You're more a model than anything, walking with us, being you're pretty self around us."

"Are you seriously hiring me just to _taunt _others?"

"You could put it that way, yes."

Eva sighed; this was the easiest job in the world. No. It may be the most dangerous job in the world, she corrected herself. These people we're like dogs marking their territory, and in this case, random girls. She honest to God though, couldn't figure out what had attracted them to her in the swarms Lucio implied they were. Stubborn idiots. She had the sense not to say this out loud this time though.

"No biting?"

"Not unless you wanted it." Lucio snapped his fangs out again in a leering smile. Eva shuddered.

"No thanks. Let's talk numbers."

…

"Goodbye," Eric said to Sookie. He felt a little incomplete as he walked away from her, but he had business to attend to. He smiled widely at Bill Compton, manning his stall near them. Bill gave him a cold hard grim expression, and Eric smiled wider. Then he sauntered away out the big hall, the rest of the night to spend on matters of business. For a moment he considered taking a trip the bar to see if his defiant little friend was working there tonight. She wasn't serving in the ballroom. Maybe she's in the kitchen, he wondered. He envisioned her tanned soft looking skin, the veins pumping beneath them…her hair gently grazing her neck…the nape of her neck. He bit his lip slightly at the thought, and then remembered the negotiations he needed to do tonight.

…

Eva shakily smiled as Lucio walked away. Had she really just made a deal with a vampire? Had she really just sold herself to a vampire state? Oh God, she thought beginning to hyperventilate, I wanted to just pay my bills and get by in life, now I'll probably be dragged around from state to state as the vampires did their business.

She had asked Lucio if she was required to sign any form of contract, but he'd just shaken his head and informed her he'd been taping the conversation. Verbal consent will do, he assured her, so that she couldn't go of crying that they forced you into playing their pretty face. She wondered who she'd cry too exactly, but that thought passed quickly. Her whole life had been uprooted within an hour. She was so stupid to agree to a deal they were very vague on for the security of the money they offered her. That wasn't the only reason; her growing interest in the pale race was becoming more obvious. But at that moment in time she scolded herself for being lured by the money.

Unsteadily rising from the bar stool she decided to pay Daniel a quick visit. She surely couldn't tell him what she'd just signed herself up for, but it would be nice to see him if she was hauled off the next day. Or rather night. She walked towards the kitchens, hoping he would be there, trying to control her breathing.

The kitchen was cool despite the number of bodies. Eva sauntered in forgetting she didn't work their anymore, therefore it being weird for her to enter the kitchen. She got a few looks but ignoring them, walked on. Daniel was there, talking to one of the head chefs. Why so many chefs we're required in a vampire hotel was a mystery to Eva.

"H…Hi."

"Eva? Didn't think I'd see you in these kitchens again." He didn't seem very surprised.

"I thought I'd say a quick hello."

"A quick Hello? You're at the hotel for something else?" He didn't seem like he was really asking her a question either.

"No, I came to meet someone. How are you?" Eva quickly asked, attempting to change the subject.

"Who?" Daniel demanded, ignoring her.

"I was having a…job interview."

"At a bar in a vampire hotel?"

Eva sighed.

"What are you getting yourself mixed up in? Are they threatening you?"

"No, nothing like that. Calm down, look..." How did he know I was necessarily in the bar? Eva suddenly speculated.

"Calm down? You quit here because you were 'at risk of getting tangled up with vampires', and today you're negotiating a job with them?"

"Did I say it was an interview with a vampire?" Eva almost choked with sudden laughter at her unintended pun, but bit her tongue in time.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Eva had lost track whether he was talking about vampires or had noticed her trying to laugh at her own bad joke.

"What? No…" she began to babble, before he roughly took her arm and led her to the back door.

"We're making a scene, we'll talk outside."

Looking up, Eva noticed her ex-co-workers watching the hushed bickering.

"Yesterday you we're telling me off for going out here," Eva snapped as he shoved her outside. The cold bit into her bare arms and she shivered.

"Well that was yesterday."

"You make no sense."

"You're a fine one to talk. You quit to move away from vamps, and then come back to move a leap and a bound nearer them. Your flirting with the wrong bunch, and I'll be damned if I let them seduce you into going from their pretty face too their smutty whore."

Eva gasped, his harsh words taking an effective blow. Though some of what he was saying hit home, she knew she was being flirtatious with danger, but the second part of his small speech was cruel and warm tears welled up in her eyes. Clamping on her quivering lip she slowly looked up at her angry friend. Instead of glaring at her, or looking remorseful for what he said, his gaze travelled straight over her head. The last thing she saw was him give a small quick nod before cold hands grabbed her viciously.

**This was a more Eva orientated chapter, don't you think?**

**I'm think I may need to up the rating from a T to an M. I'm not sure yet, I don't want to, at the same time I wouldn't mind some steamy chapters. Nothing to full on, like the book, unless you really really want. I'm not sure; I like how you can experiment on fanfiction. Feedback please, I have so many planned directions for this.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Finished for study leave today and am happy happy happy so need to remember my characters and tone of my story before I have Eva skipping down corridors, or Eric humming show tunes. I know right, why is she sat in writing a fanfiction, does she have no life. I'm just very tired, I fell asleep in a car before and awoke to find it parked in asda car park with kids giggling at me sleeping while the driver of the car had buggered of to do some shopping! But I have a masquerade ball party tomorrow, ;) but ENOUGH of my social life. By the way, thank you reviewers.**

**One last thing, SHOULD I raise the rating? I think M may need to be in place for later chapters. What do you think?**

"Get offa me!" Eva huffed as she was tackled to the ground.

"Shut up, filthy fangbanger," snarled a voice filled with hate and anger. She couldn't tell how many men we're on her; it could have been one or two, or five. Eva grunted in defiance and struggled against them, as they viciously shoved a rag or some form of material into her mouth, then wrapped another strip round, tying it tightly. Two pair of hands we're on her, one pair round her legs (upper thigh to be precise) and another wrapped under her arms and held her torso, more loosely than his friend at her thighs.

"You promised, no harm," hissed a low familiar voice.

"You promised she was trying to stay away from vamps. Temptation to big for you, ey, whore?"

Eva wasn't happy with the name calling she was receiving, and she was even less happy about the man handling. That was an understatement. She was furious. Not scared, just plain pissed off. Eva was the kind of girl who never immediately comprehended any danger she faced. She squirmed as the men dragged her awkwardly down the back alley.

"Grips slipping," teased thigh man, as he groped her upper leg harder. Eva screamed through the gag and kicked her calf up, which the lecherous abductor had left vulnerable. She delivered a blow hard in his face, while releasing muffled screech after screech.

"Filthy bitch," he snarled, before slapping her with considerable force. Her head span sideways and hit the stone paved floor with a thud. Eva coughed and choked through the rag, and tried to ignore the searing pain in her forehead. Then one kicked her brutally. She rolled into the foetal position, gasping in the breath that had been booted out of her and cradling her stomach as tears welled in her eyes.

One minute the men we're stood craned over her, next minute they were being flung through the air.

Eva lolled back on her back, concentrating on breathing steadily again. A warm splattering of blood suddenly hit her left arm, but she ignored it. There were muffled screams and vicious sniggers, but she ignored it. The dizzying pain in her head, she could not ignore. Her world faded in and out, then went completely black. After she felt strong cold arms slide under her, and lift her from the bloody and dusty ground.

…

Everything slowly slid into colour and focus once more, and she felt the recognisable softness of bed sheets beneath her. Blinking quickly, and taking short nervous breaths, Eva tried to sit up. But her world span and she had to admit defeat and lie back down.

"Where am I?" she whispered to the cream coloured ceiling of the dimly lit room.

"You are in my hotel room," answered an aloof voice.

"You being…?" She didn't dare try and sit up again.

"I being Eric Northman. You being very lucky you are here, on my bed."

"Not many girls experience Eric Northman's bed do they?"

"I will put your personal joke down to mild concussion."

"Yeah you do that," Eva muttered absentmindedly. Her mind was swirling, she felt a numbing pain and her body ached.

"For the record I meant here in my room _alive_ …may I lick your forehead?" asked the wintry voice, in all seriousness. Eva had to sit up; she just had to pull herself up and look him in the eye and be sure he was serious. He was, his expression confirmed he was deadly serious and Eva couldn't restrain her laughter.

She laughed like an idiot, ignoring his frosty glares.

"And you say _I'm _making personal remarks?" she snorted.

"I am being…"

"Yeah, serious, I can tell."

"There is more blood on your forehead and it's taking all my willpower not to pin you down and take more than is what being bled."

Eva shuddered, and then noticed the flaw in the sentence.

"_More_ blood?"

"Yes, more."

"And the blood from before…" Eva had a feeling she shouldn't bother inquiring.

"Oh, licked clean while you we're unconscious."

"You licked it clean while I was out cold?"

"Yes, that's what I said, with a slight change of phrasing. Oh and that noun, you. _They_ licked it clean."

Eva shook with disgust. She knew she'd regret asking, she just knew it but she could help herself.

"Who are 'they'?""

"Lucio, the Nevada vampire, and others. I did try and get a taste, but it was hard when I was the one holding you" There was a strange tone to the end of that sentence, like Eric was suggesting something. Eva ignored this.

"The others weren't from Nevada?"

"_Please_ let me lick your forehead. It's unbearable."

"But it's gross…oh…oft."

Within a second Eric had moved across the room and was poised above her, his faces inches from hers but his eyes desperately darting from her hairline to her eyes for confirmation. Eva's breath was warm against his neck and his fangs shot out.

"Oh hell, go for it. No biting."

Eva was amazed at how calm she was, then it dawned on her she took a heavy blow to the head…

What ensued for Eva was one of the strangest moments of her life. As she lay there, the vampire she'd barely had a conversation with lapped in a dog like yet sensual way at her head. His saliva wasn't cold, but it was hardly hot and heavy like humans. It also had a strangely calming effect.

Most people just find a massage therapeutic, she thought, amused.

When she was sure he must have got every last fleck of blood, and it started to get really weird (not that it wasn't quite weird in the first place), she pushed against his chest gently. Eric felt like he was made of stone as she tried to shove him, and she had to put in a more considerable force before he got her message.

Raising his head over hers, he smiled in a content way, his eyes fixed on hers.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no. No no and no to every last perverted thought in your mind."

"I may just be smiling in gratitude."

Eva snorted and shuffled out from under him, she didn't like his dominating position.

"Yeah right."

Eric looked at her somewhat perplexed.

"You know, most women would move closer to me."

"Most women would feel lucky to be on Eric Northman's bed. Record my arse, you didn't just mean lucky to be alive."

"That is irrelevant."

Eva almost laughed at how seriously blunt he was. It was almost childlike in her eyes, which was incredibly ironic as he was about a millennium older than her. Eva was trying to smile mockingly, but had to turn away. As she did a pain flashed through her face, and as she raised her hands to her face a harsher pain seared through her belly. Eva's breathing grew unsteady again and Eric moved swiftly to kneel beside her.

"So, tell me who my unlucky abductors were," she gasped as she held her stomach.

"The fellowship of the sun, I am surprised you didn't guess."

Eva sighed, and looked at her savoir. He was crouched down with his hands holding the bed beside her. She took note of his high cheek bones, and intense eyes. The muscles in his arms were noticeable as he wore a white vest top that hugged his body.

"You managed to… well I don't want to even imagine what you did to those poor souls, and you didn't get a fleck of blood on your shirt?"

"Poor souls? They tried to abduct and grope at you, and you sympathise with them?"

"I suppose so. They we're bastards, but I imagine you gave them more than they deserved. Can I inquire as to who 'you' all were by the way?"

"I changed my shirt, while you we're unconscious."

"Oh. That's vain."

Eric glared at her. Ever insolent, he snarled in his mind.

"Well I suggest _you_ change too before you walk out this hotel."

Looking down she saw her pants were incredibly scuffed and covered in dust from the pavement. Her blouse was in a worse state sadly enough. It was ripped and frayed at the edges, and covered in dust and nicks, and a few of the buttons we're missing. Her midriff was visible through a gap, and she could see a reddy-purple bruise already forming. She didn't want to think about what her face looked like.

"I'll have to make do; I'll find a bathroom and dust myself down a bit. Hopefully no policemen will notice me leave the hotel all battered and bruised."

"I'd offer you blood to attend to the marks but I don't imagine you'd take it kindly."

Eva made a face.

"No, you know me well. Thanks for the offer though." She was sure it wasn't serious though. Eric Northman offering blood to a random girl he just picked up from a scuffle, heavens no.

"I didn't think so."

He stood as Eva did. He loomed almost a foot over her. Eva was taller than the average girl, standing at five foot eight inches, but Eric still craned above her. It's quite sexy, she thought mischievously.

There was a long pause while they stared at each other. Not awkward, more hesitant.

"I see no reason to stay," she said honestly, "so I'll be on my way. But thank you very much for saving me."

"You are welcome."

Eva slowly made her way to the door, trying to ignore the dizziness or the pain.

"By the way, how did you all find me?"

"We are vampires, we are not deaf. You can be a noisy little child even when gagged."

"Oh…"

"And I smelled you."

"Right…"

"Your smell is incredibly mouth-watering, very soft and feminine and floral yet…"

"Meaty?" Eva offered, sighing and moving towards the door faster. Eric gave a low chuckle.

"Yes, that's one way to put it. Meaty."

"Right…"

She opened the door and paused for a moment. They'd passed each other, snapped at each other; he'd saved her life then licked her head. Did they have some sort of friendship now where she was required to call him later to arrange drinks or something? What protocol was required here?

"Bye."

"Bye, thanks again for saving my life."

Then with that, somewhat sadly, she shut the door behind her.

In the bathroom at the end of the corridor, she tried to wipe down her trousers. Eva's seen her face and didn't like what she saw. Where she was slapped was red with a purple tint, and where her head had hit the pavement, the skin was broken and becoming bloody again. She was lucky she didn't half the hotel panting after her with an open wound like that. Then again, you could order blood on room service here.

"You have sustained some injuries?"

Eva jumped almost an inch in the air as Lucio sneakily strode into the light from behind her, she watched him via the mirror. His thick hair was slightly more unkempt than before, and his skin seemed a little more radiant – a fuller colour in his cheeks If that were possible.

"Isn't this a girl bathroom?"

"Meh."

"Okay…"

"You taste divine Miss Hunter, I must say." His fangs hung out in that doglike way as he grinned over her shoulder.

"Well, thanks."

"Would you like me to find you some new clothes?"

"No its okay, I'll just get a taxi. You can pay for that if you like."

Lucio laughed and nodded, then shrugged of his long black jacket.

"Here, if you leave the hotel looking like that the place will be being investigated within hours."

Eva smiled gratefully and pulled on the big jacket, buttoning it over her wreck of a blouse.

"Thank you."

"Would you like me to escort you home for your own safety?"

Eva thought for a moment. She hadn't stopped to process any thought properly since she'd walked in. She'd gone from business propositions to the victim of hate attacks to a vamp's bed. Yesterday she was serving these people drinks…

"No, I imagine you already have someone following me."

"Yes, but I would have liked to walk you home."

Eva pictured Lucio in her apartment, amongst her magazines and empty cups of tea yet to be washed on the table and the mundane humanness of it. It was quite a sweet thought actually.

"Thanks but I think I need some quiet time."

"Another time then."

"Right…"

When did I get to the point where I just shrugged of these vamps strange comments, within one night? Was I always this normal around vamps? Eva thought, worried.

"I am glad you are safe," Lucio said smoothly, swiftly tucking a lock of dark hair behind his ear. "I imagine Mr Northman didn't inform you in your brief respite in his room, but your aid consisted of himself, myself, Vincent – whom you met yesterday, and the King of Mississippi. We were doing business with him when I heard your muffled screams and the scuffle."

"The king of Mississippi? I'm sure attracting some classy names. Thank him for me?"

"Of course, he may approach you himself at some point though."

"Oh…how come you and Eric heard me but others didn't?"

"We have had contact with you; we are familiar with your voice"

Vampires have sonic hearing like a…vampire bat… Eva thought slowly. The vampire puns we're proving endless, if not enduringly bad.

"Oh…anyway, thanks for the jacket, I appreciate all this. Saving my life and all."

"We couldn't lose our pretty face now could we?"

"Right now it's more bruised than anything." She muttered.

"I could help you with that?"

"No thanks, I've already declined one offer tonight."

Again with the just going along with it, she thought.

"That reminds me, as much as I like chit chatting with you in this bathroom, I must remind you to remember who you work for."

"Eh?"

"We understand that Eric swooped in and grabbed you while we were busy tossing aside your abductors, but just remember you are loyal to _us._"

"Oh right, sure whatever."

"On that note, we will require your presence tomorrow night."

"Okay dokay."

Lucio paused and looked at Eva pleasantly.

"You know, you are wonderfully comfortable around us."

"Well mostly you, you're gentler than others I've encountered."

"So you'd count me among your friends?"

"Well my last friend I assume just set me up to be abducted, not high criteria required apparently, so sure."

"That is good. I will see you tomorrow," he said abruptly before slinking out the bathroom. Eva blinked in surprise then with a sigh, set off to depart the hotel.

Climbing out the taxi, wincing at the pain in her stomach, she fumbled with her keys. On the step of her apartment building was a white box, with 'E. Hunter' written on the corner in beautiful italic script. Involuntarily smiling, Eva prised the lid of there and then as she stood outside.

The gift box contained a long deep blue gown, beautiful and silky. Eva wondered whether it was from Eric, or Lucio. This is all quite exciting; she thought giddily, all these new characters and faces. The moment passed and she suddenly felt appalled at herself for being so thrilled by it all. You were _attacked _tonight Eva, she told herself.

Sighing some more, she rushed inside before she was assaulted again.

**Sorry again if orders of the nights in the Pyramids of Giza are mixed up in my story, been a while since I read it. Ah well, another day, another chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm getting a bit of a soft spot for Lucio, at first he was just the guy sent to sign up Eva but I'm thinking significant character?**

**Sat here in a toothpaste and cucumber facemask hahahaa, and I finished reading Cosmo so I thought, start chapter five? I think so.**

**Toothpaste in your eyebrows? Not nice but this stuff is magical.**

**On with the chapter!**

Eva wished more than anything in the world she didn't have to put on a dress and heels and swagger around for the best part of the night. Her stomach ached incredibly and her face was sore, while she still felt lightheaded. Unfortunately she could hardly ring in sick…

She lolled in bed, watching her toes wiggle, the only part of her body it didn't ache to move. I'd happily lie here all night staring at my own ten toes, she thought lazily as the phone began to ring. Someone human, thinking me? Oh my! She mused, rolling over to answer.

"Hello?"

"Eva?" whispered a familiar voice. Her almost carefree mood evaporated immediately.

"What do you want?"

"Just seeing if you are okay…"

"Oh I'm peachy, just wonderful, yeah? Thanks for asking."

"No need for sarcasm Eva, look I'm sorry, I mean…"

"Excuse me?" She declared, fuming with anger. "You're _sorry?_ I'm not sure you understand the scale of what you've done. Did you or did you not try and abduct me?"

"Not me personally, look Eva I was just worried about you, I care about you."

"You have a funny way of showing it," she retorted, "Can I ask exactly what you intended to _do_ once you'd bungled me in a van?"

"An intervention of sorts…"

"Like tape me to a chair and force me to watch videos of happy human scenes?"

"Not quite, look can I talk to you in person, I can't explain on the phone."

"Well tough, because this is the most conversation you're getting out of me," Eva snapped, before slamming the phone down. She didn't want to relive her betrayal the previous night, or think about the reasons for it. There was so much hate in the world for vamps, and a lot of it was pure ignorance. Eva huffed and dragged herself out of bed to get dressed and look as god damn beautiful as she could manage with a purple face.

…

Eric had an ominous feeling about the night ahead. He stood with Sookie and admired her subtle beauty. She wore a brown pant suit tonight, the blouse dipping low into her perfect cleavage. He felt her awash with calm and security in his presence and yet felt her worry as she picked up on his anxiety. This sharing of emotions was all due to the blood bond of course. His now leapt at her arrival and she dreamt dreams of Eric she daren't relay to anyone.

Wherever they were, they would yearn for one another. Of course there'd been a sexual tension and closeness between them before, but now it was so intensified they sometimes felt there was nothing they wouldn't do for one another.

Despite all this, their minds were allowed to wander to their feelings for others now and again. That particular night Sookie was thinking about Quinn, worrying about him. While Eric thought about the daring brunette he'd gathered in his arms and dragged to safety while her attackers were ripped and drained around her. He wondered how she was today, and wondered why the vampires had showed no mercy to her attackers. Vampires were known to be brutal and bloody but there was a fierce intent when the vamps jumped to her aid last night. Two vampires he did not recognise, then the King of Mississippi. What contact had the former waitress had with _them, _he wondered. She probably wouldn't come tonight, he reasoned, she'll be at home licking her wounds. No, Eva wasn't a licking her wounds kind of girl. Just a night of recovery. He had learnt she had quit her job the night before last, which led to the question of what she was doing at the hotel last night.

…

Eva wondered what she was doing at the hotel _that_ night. You get harassed and scared and quit one night, next night you get hired then attacked, the next night here you are Eva, back again, she thought exasperatingly. She had taken the opportunity however to wear her beautiful new gown. Normally feeling uncomfortable in fancy clothes, she felt almost happy to be in them tonight. The dress hugged her somewhat rounded figure, and the neckline swooped to her upper chest in its expensive cut. Someone had an eye for sizing and flattering dress shapes. Eva was a size twelve and occasionally a fourteen. Working around size eight and ten for the previous year had taken a serious knock on her self esteem, who could wear any clothes and look amazing. She had to pick and choose her clothes carefully for fear of looking like a heifer.

She'd pulled most of her hair back tonight, into a bun that weighed heavy on her head due to the thickness of her hair. Several locks fell lazily round her face, and she blew them out of her eyes quickly when she thought no one was looking.

No waiting around tonight, the moment she walked in Lucio nodded to her from across the lobby, brandishing a toothy smile at her.

"I thought I'd catch you before you were swept off by anyone else," he said as greeting as she walked to him with as much grace as she could muster in heels.

"Are you my vampire guardian now?"

He wove his arm through hers and led her towards the ballroom, where the vamp elite we're discussing the current world and vampire leaders for another night.

"Somewhat, I'm sure you'd rather you didn't have a different vampire meeting you each night?"

"No," she sighed, "You're right. I mean, I'm terrible with names."

Lucio gave such a sudden snigger Eva almost jumped.

"I was too you know, I thought, I'll have to watch myself in this business. I'll have to write the names on my hand. When I was turned that didn't seem the case, good old vampire brains."

He gazed off into the distance as they walked now, as if reflecting back. Eva felt instantly curious.

"So you are a young vampire? How did you end up working for the king of Nevada?" she asked.

"That is a story for another time," he whispered in reply as they arrived at a small party of people.

The woman we're breathtaking and the men dashing and Eva felt overwhelmed. It must have been obvious on her face because Lucio bent down to whisper to her again.

"You look breathtaking," he said close to her ear. His breath was cool against her skin and smelt delicious. She smiled at him in reply as the party turned to acknowledge them.

"Miss Hunter! We meet in person," greeted a suave voice, and as Eva turned she was met by a tall man with a commanding presence. Vincent stood at his right hand side, a light brunette and petite vampire on his arm with a deadly and possessive gleam in her eyes.

"Hello," she said curtly, a bit dazed by the sudden attention of the collective group of vamps.

"Felipe De Castro, my and now your employer and king," Lucio announced tactfully.

King? Eva sniggered mentally. I have a _King_? Next I'll encounter Robin Hood shall I?

"Pleased to meet you," she stated swift fully.

He flashed her a creepy smile then turned back to the other vampires, assumedly his 'entourage'.

"I hired the young human girl through Vincent and our Lucio the previous night. An effective move you will discover soon."

Eva _did not_ like the sound of that, but she kept a pleasant smile plastered to her face despite her hands shaking. Lucio noticed as her arm was still hooked on his, and looked at her inquiringly. Vampire comments probably didn't unnerve him as they did her, of course due to being one of them.

Eva ignored him and beamed around the group of deadly looking creatures. She was moving way out her comfort zone now, but she'd spent the past three nights adapting her attitude. Was I not attacked by humans not vampires, and saved by vampires not humans? She thought rationally.

Some vamps nodded in greeting and then like the other who ignored her completely turned back to their chit chat. She breathed a sigh of relief though some still looked at her curiously. Victor walked up to her casually, the vampire female still clamped to his arm.

"Victor Madden, you remember? Good to see you again Eva."

"And you," she said, apparently a bit too perky as the females eyes immediately narrowed.

"I am Natalie," she purred. Her hair had newly applied highlights in neutral blonde shades that made her face look paler. She had a face that was considered sexy by some, but just plain menacing to Eva.

"Hello, I'm Eva." She almost held out her hand for a handshake but stopped herself just in time.

"I hope I understand why Felipe hired a human soon," she hissed, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"So do I," Eva replied curtly as Lucio and Vincent sported amused smiles.

Vincent led his ornament away for a drink and Eva looked at Lucio questioningly.

"Natalie is Vincent's child," he explained, "She was his human lover and learnt a little too much about the affairs of the Nevada authorities. Felipe was merciful and ordered him to turn her to keep her loyal. She acts like the dominating one with her possessive attitude but don't be fooled, Vincent is the dominative in the relationship, just subtly. Don't be afraid of her vamp show, she's just young and hormonal."

Eva paused and was quiet for a moment while she took all this in, then turned to Lucio again.

"That was _merciful?_"

"Turning her? Yes. Ordinarily she'd be killed. But Vincent Madden is important to the king and as her lover, she was shown mercy."

"You are kidding me," Eva stammered slowly.

"I'm afraid not."

Eva retracted her arm from Lucio's and stared at the floor while she regained even breathing. Lucio appeared confused.

"I've said something to upset you?"

"I'm sorry, I forget you are a different race of people, and I forget you have a different idea of compassion or basic value of life. I just need a minute to calm down now I realised I'm probably going to die soon," Eva hissed in a low voice.

"You go take as many minutes as you like," Lucio sighed patiently. Giving him a wary glare, Eva walked off to find a bathroom or a quiet spot. It was dawning on her just how much trouble she was in now. She wondered if she'd see the year out alive, and human.

Giving up on finding a bathroom nearby in a vampire hotel, she settled for a quiet moment on a unoccupied seat at an empty table on the edge of the ballroom.

She quietly imagined herself white and pale, she imagined herself baring her fangs at a shaky human much like her now. She imagined the blood and shuddered in horror. The image had a certain thrill to her, at the same time it scared her silly.

Quiet moments didn't last long with Eva nowadays and when she looked back up, Eric Northman was sat in the seat opposite her, forehead creased as he gave her a hard look.

"You are here again," he said bluntly.

"Yes, and so are you, sneaking up on me again," she replied simply.

"You are not here for me I'm sure; our meetings are a by-line to your visits to this place. What business are you conducting with my kind?"

"Too be honest, I am not sure what I'm here for. I don't know why I'm needed, I don't know why vampires show interest in me or what they can use me for, but there seems to be some hidden motive in it all."

"Who are you're employers?"

Eva was quiet for a moment, not because she was being secretive, she was just tired and taking a moment to wonder why Eric showed an interest in her.

"Mississippi?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"You've been employed by Mississippi?"

"I've never even met Mississippi, but what makes you say that."

"The king saved you last night."

"Oh so he did," Eva remembered Lucio telling her. "I still need to thank him."

"You do not need to," Eric stated bluntly. Eva glared at him.

"I will thank whom so ever I wish to thank."

Eric glared back fiercer. Sookie was anxious about something therefore he in turn was anxious to find her. On the other hand he wanted to find out who had employed Eva, and needed to stress how she was just finding trouble nowadays.

"You introduce yourself to Russell Edgington and you are attracting the attention of yet another as deadly as myself, do you understand?" Eric said it slowly, in a low voice that was more sexy than urgent. His eyes were locked in Eva's, and she stared back into them, her breathing growing more audible. The moment was passing slowly, yet intensely and Eric tensed his arm as Eva failed to respond. "Do you understand?" he repeated, with a slight authority.

"Oh…yeah, I do,"

"Good," Eric replied, standing up with his gaze still on Eva's "I must find someone now, but if you value your life you will heed my words."

He turned to walk away and something tugged in Eva. In an immediate rush she wanted him to stay, sit with her. At the same time, she was curious. Why was he so interested in her? Why did he seek her out each night she visited the hotel.

"Wait…"

Eric stopped and slowly turned, eyebrows raised in question. In his tall stance he was looking down on her, and Eva felt almost vulnerable to both his physical person and his charm. Yet she still called out to him and walked to stand near him.

"Thank you for the dress."

"What about the dress?"

"You didn't send it to me?"

"No, would you like me to send you a dress?"

That would be quite nice actually, Eva thought mischievously.

"No never mind."

Eric waited a moment longer, realising she wasn't finished talking to him. He was also glowing in the fact for once he was walking away from a conversation and she had called him back.

"I don't understand," she finally said slowly, looking up. She was taller than the average girl, and in heels, bringing her to total height of five foot ten inches, and yet she still just peaked at his strong shoulders. Her eyes would just meet his sculpted jaw line until she looked upwards. "What's your interest in me? Why do you seek me out, make a point of finding me at some point each night? Why question me on my motives like we're old friends?"

"Why do most men show interest in woman?"

"If you want sex, why don't you just glamour me?"

"Glamouring a women gives me no joy. It is like a shortcut, a weak mans way. I enjoy the hunt."

Eric curled back his upper lip ever so slightly and his fangs snapped into place.

"You're teasing me," Eva said breathlessly.

"I am not."

"Eva!"

Eva stepped back from Eric as if she was guilty of something, and turned to face Lucio who was stood several metres away. He looked tense and his eyes were angry, and also fixed on Eric like he would happily tear him limb from limb on the spot.

"We we're just talking," Eva mumbled, again as if she were guilty of something.

"Walk away child," Eric hissed, a leering smile played on his lips. Lucio didn't move, but kept his cold hard gaze firm on Eric.

"Don't bother standing there facing each other off on my account," Eva groaned then turned to Eric. "I'll see you around."

She began to walk towards Lucio, reminding herself he was her employer and friend. Immediately awash with rage, Eric recognised the situation as a rejection. Rejection wasn't in his vocabulary.

Grabbing Eva's arm and pulling her back, close to his body, he bent to her ear slowly. His touch on her arm gave of emotional sparks on her skin and Eva resisted the urge to sink into his arms completely.

"If you are treated ill, if you are in danger or trouble or any kind – I am here."

With that, Eric Northman let go of her and stood tall to watch her unsteadily walk towards Lucio. Eva gave a small glance over her shoulder as she walked away from him, and felt a rush of lust, emotion, and somewhat gratitude. Gratitude for his strangely comforting watch over her. She suspected it was a simple show of influence over her in front of Lucio, or a complex act to seduce her. Like he said, he enjoyed the hunt.

Of course he'd plucked her from trouble once before and as she returned to Lucio's side she remembered him poised on top of her in his hotel room, eyes passionate and on her.

Lucio took her hand roughly and pulled her away, his fangs apparent in his annoyance. Eva took a last peek back to see Eric watching Lucio with hate written on his face. Becoming a vampire must intensify the testosterone, Eva thought grimly.

"You smell of Mr Northman," he said immediately, as Eva was marched out the busy ballroom.

"Jeez, he was only sat with me," Eva retorted.

"I warned you."

"Oh stop, it's hardly like I was all over him."

Lucio glowered even angrier, as Eva remembered something.

"Thank you for the dress."

"It's very nice, I was going to comment. But I have never seen it before." He snapped, and Eva knew he wasn't completely angry at her; otherwise he wouldn't be dropping her comments.

"You didn't give it to me? Or any of the other Nevada vampires?"

"Hmm, no not that I am aware of. It was probably Mr Northman…"

"No, it wasn't him either…" Eva mumbled confused.

"You have attracted another admirer," he accused, not asked. His fangs were still on show.

"It seems so, but don't take it out on me."

"You must be doing something," Lucio retorted. It was Eva's turn to see red.

"Look you, I don't dress like I'm easy, I don't flirt or tease, I don't even talk to men I don't know if I can help it, so don't you dare accuse me of anything."

Lucio nodded, unballing his fists. He regretted speaking to her like that, and retracted his fangs in a sign he was calming.

"I suppose this is a bad time to inform you Felipe wishes you to stay with the Nevada vampire's round the clock during the Vampire Summit…"

Eva looked up slowly at him, almost panting in sheer anger.

"We will provide you with a room and clothes, all on our expenses, and you may roam from the hotel for a few hours in the day if you wish if you are accompanied by one of our day men…" he continued.

"Fuck you," Eva growled. Lucio was taken aback, but struggled to keep calm.

"We are thinking of your safety, you we're attacked once, and daytime is a green light for the fellowship."

"Safety my arse, you just want me under your thumb and under your watch."

Eva turned to stalk off, but Lucio leapt to her like a wolf leaps to his prey. Eva stumbled onto one of the lobby sofas and Lucio crouched over her, moving close to her face until his fangs we're inches from her mouth.

"I am thinking of your safety and welfare whether you believe me or not Eva. You attract trouble like a moth to a flame and for some god forsaken reason I feel compelled to put some form of effort into keeping you alive."

Eva shook beneath him, staring at his fangs and hearing her heart thud in her ears. He had caught her off guard and while she was a strong girl, the moment would scare any girl.

Then the fangs disappeared from view and when she reassessed what she could see, Lucio had been thrown across the lobby.

"That was me being gentle," Eric growled, appearing behind the sofa Eva was slumped on. She wondered how he'd tossed Lucio from that angle, and then remembered he was a vampire…

"They're like children aren't they?" mused a cool indifferent voice from the other side of Eva.

"Leave," hissed Eric.

"Oh, but two men engaging in a fight? That's a dream to me, and I imagine to this young lady in the lovely dress."

"No…I…" Eva began to protest, but she found her words slurring over each other. The beating grew louder in her ears and she grew dizzy. She lolled her head to the side to see a smallish sharply dress man with a long crooked noise smiling pleasantly at her as if they were at a dinner party.

"Barbaric Viking!" Lucio roared, rolling to his feet with an inhuman ease and crouching as if to pounce.

Eric laughed, making a bigger display of his fangs in doing so. The on looking vampires watched enthusiastically, fangs all round.

"This should be fun, providing that blonde brick of a man just toys with him. With his age he could rip him apart within seconds…I mean in that sense it's hardly a fair fight…" the man commented, thrilled by it all.

Eva opened her mouth to protest again but the colours blurred into one smear of the red of the lobby and white of the lights and with one involuntary gasp she began to sway and collapse of the sofa to the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

**I apologize, I do proof read but not very well. I mean when you finish a chapter the simple excitement to get it up there outweighs the knowledge that I need to check for typos. So I apologize for my silly little mistakes**

**Oh my GOD I should seriously be revising, I have a film studies exam tomorrow morning!**

**Charlaine Harris was in the newspaper today, I was reading it on the bus and almost missed it, flicking back quickly I accidentally elbowed the person sat next to me. Oops…**

**Season 3 trailer is out and I CANNOT stop watching it. Alcide is brilliant, Eric is better than ever and arghh it just looks amazing. They seem to have stayed somewhat true to the plot in the Bill situation? Anyway, I'll stop chattering.**

Eva's eyes fluttered open and for the second night in a row she found herself on a hotel room bed in the Pyramids of Giza hotel. Again it was dimly lit, and again Eva was the only sound of breathing in the room, and again a vampire sat across the room from her.

"Awake are we?"

Jerking upright, Eva saw Vincent Madden sat casually on the opposite end of the bed on a large red arm chair.

"Yeah…" she mumbled, trying to remember how she got there.

"You fainted – in the lobby," he said in answer to her silent question. His charming voice was cool as ever, and he seemed amused at being sat there.

"Right…and I ended up in this room how exactly?"

"Well," he began, "the two enraged men we're engaging in combat over you and your pretty face, when you decided to take a detour to the floor. Of course this broke up the fight immediately and the two men rushed to your aid as a gentleman would. Course, this spurred further fighting and in the end it was I who reminded them that you were out cold and wouldn't be too attentive as too who carried you away."

Eva paused for thought. My life's been plain ridiculous this week, she thought.

"Right, so whose room am I in now?"

"Your own Miss Hunter."

"My own room? Eh?"

"Lucio told you I trust," He replied casually "We wish for you to stay with us full time in regards to your own safety, and yes we'll admit we wouldn't mind keeping an eye on you. Therefore we had to arrange for a room, and several clothes. You can pick up some of your stuff in the morning if you wish, we'd arranged for a day man to accompany you."

Eva gritted her teeth, she was utterly sick of vampires whisking her around and making arrangements for her. She'd only had it for three days as well.

Though, she reasoned, my flats nothing amazing, I can't complain about a few days in a fancy hotel. Appreciate what you're given.

"Thank you," she sighed humbly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. If that was her own hotel room, she was too be making some arrangements.

She strolled to the door and turned the lights on full, then opened the wardrobe to inspect what she was to be kitted with for the next few days. The most beautiful fabrics hung of the hangers, enough clothes to clothe a person for a month. No less was to be expected from the vampire courts of course.

Victor Madden watched her pad around her bedroom, making no motion to move or leave. He was sat straight in the chair, his arms draped lazily over the arms of the chair. He was perfectly still, staring into space and adorned in a black expression. Eva had noticed vamps do this, zone out when they are not being engaged in conversation or interested in anything, they held the stillness of a corpse and it freaked her out a bit.

She finally padded back into the room and sat on the end of the bed opposite him, after she'd checked out the lavish bathroom.

"Fine, so I'll be firmly under your thumb for the next…"

"The vampire summit is set to last roughly another week," he replied, breaking his frozen state. Eva nodded slowly, and wondered what Victor was waiting to say to her.

"So…I passed out why?" she finally asked, to break the silence.

"Ah, well I'm no doctor but I imagine you've not been meeting your human needs of late." Eva looked confused so he continued. "When one begins to hang with the vampires they seem to forget to eat, drink, sleep, etc. I suggest you spend the day recuperating, maybe order some room service when I leave."

"My eating pattern has been a bit out of whack…" she mumbled. That was probably an understatement. She had got in the previous early morning, eaten some cereal and drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, she ate some toast quickly before she left for the hotel. The previous day had been just as appalling.

"Right. Well, don't hesitate to order room service, or use one of the hotel restaurants. It's all expenses paid of course. Can't have our pretty face fainting on us again."

Oh, a girl could get use to this, Eva thought giddily. No, need to remember to keep feet planted firmly on ground, she then reminded herself, and I'm a bit tired of being permanently referred to as a pretty face.

"Well thanks, and I don't mean to be rude but it feels like you have something else to say to me?"

Victor nodded with a smile.

"You are good at reading people, especially my kind it seems. It makes one wonder about you."

"I wonder about myself sometimes. So, go on?"

Victor cleared his throat as he stood up and walked slowly to the door.

"It's nothing important; I just wanted to tell you to go easy on Lucio."

"Oh…" Eva responded blankly, caught off guard. She expected him to drop a bombshell on her, rather than engage her in relationship chit chat.

"He is a young vampire, passionate and defiant. He will tend to lash out without thinking of the consequences."

"Like starting a fight with a thousand year old once Viking warrior vampire? I don't call that passionate, I call its stupid."

"Call it what you will, but in his eyes Eric is a threat," Vincent continued smoothly. He seemed emotionally detached from any conversation, like he was permanently just conveying a message. However, Eva still liked him. Maybe because he wasn't picking fights around her.

"In Eric's eyes Lucio is a threat I think," Eva speculated "My question is, what made me such a valuable prize?"

Vincent was quiet for a moment, and then nodded slowly, a hint of a smile making an appearance.

"We have our theories."

With that he walked out the door.

"…I hate you all." Eva told the door.

She still had a serious lack of answers due Victors silly mysteriousness, but that would have to wait to be addressed at aother time. She was still feeling lightheaded, and was sick of the gown. She pulled it over her head and dumped it on the chair opposite. She let her hair out, and kicked off her heels. The freedom from the posh frock was an absolute relief, and Eva began to crave a big t shirt and pair of pyjama shorts.

The wardrobe contained all kinds of finery, but rooting through the drawer she found some pyjamas – still more formal than your general pyjamas. The silky shirt was a deep blood red – of course – and buttoned up. The bottoms were a shimmery black, and Eva had to balance them on her hip or they'd be half mast – 'damn my long legs'. Ignoring the mad formality of the pyjamas, she pulled them on and sat into the chair Vincent was in before.

Her body ached, and Eva sank into the cushions. She ran her fingers through her hair, how loose and trailing over her shoulders. She longed to remove her makeup but the night was still young and she'd probably be summoned soon for some medial task or another. She basked in the moment of peace, lolling her head back and closing her eyes.

She thought of her life before the vampire summit and her life now. She'd lived an ordinary twenty three years. She'd studied, and socialised and worked. She'd struggle to balance lunch with the girlfriends, drinks out and her electricity bill. She'd had a couple of humdrum relationships, and she'd held her friends as they cried over the end of theirs. Her interactions with the vamps had been more exactly than her whole past love life, she admitted to herself. Eva had never cried at the end of a relationship. She didn't know why, she'd liked the guys of course. When a relationship came to a close she'd potter about for a bit all moody, eat some junk food and move on in life. Her friends had always said they envied the way she could detach herself from things but in truth she often wondered that she was just a freak. She lacked some of the very human emotions women around her had. Then she reasoned, not every girl on the planet was a big crier, but she had felt worse watching sad films than watching her relationship fall apart.

She thought of Mr Northman. Eric, with his broad shoulders and shapely jaw line, and intense eyes that made you feel vulnerable. Yet even this is a sexy quality in his all round sexy demeanour, Eva mused. She remembered the feel of his cool marble like skin as he touched her arm.

Her quiet thinking moment didn't last long though, and after a few moments there was a knock on the hotel door. Eva mentally groaned and lazily stretched out on the chair some more. Maybe if I ignore them they'll go away, and I can later tell whoever it was I was out, she wondered.

"I can hear you breathing," chanted the low voice that had just been playing on her mind.

Jumping up a little too enthusiastically, Eva ran to the door. She forgot she was in pyjamas, and had scruffy hair and bare feet. Her fingers fumbled with the latch and finally the door swung open.

Stood there in his tall glory, Eric leaned against the door frame. His blonde hair was ruffled, and his eyes slightly less intense than normal. Yet there was still a definable suspense created by them. His pale strong arms were casually by his side and Eva examined his milky pale skin from his fingertips, to his neck, to his cheeks, and then her gaze met his eyes. To her they seemed alight as they gazed back to her. She took a deep breath and stepped back.

A gentle smile appeared slightly on his lips.

"Look who has their own room?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much for all your reviews, I LOVE reading reviews ;)**

**Okay so I finally planned out the full story, as up to now I've been improvising towards the final happenings, annnd, I was thinking of maybe making it a three part affair?**

The moment lingered between them for a long time, and then suddenly it was over. And Eva was against the wall.

His lips were swiftly on hers, cold and intoxicating. Eva hastily returned his hungry kisses, losing sense of where she was and why she was there. Hell, being kissed by Eric Northman can make you forget your own name, she thought briefly.

His muscular arms had wound round her in some lost second, and his fingers were trailing under Eva's shirt to her heated skin. When Eric's fingers touched the bare flesh of her lower back, she almost yelped. They weren't that cold, but against skin in the excitement of the moment they felt like ice. With the electricity of his touch on the small of her back, Eva arched into him, her chest pressing against his sculpted one.

His rapid kisses moved along her jaw, and her hands, which had been pressed against the wall for support, wove themselves round his neck. With her weight trustingly in his arms, he lifted and whirled her round and in a rough excitement, threw Eva to the bed.

He climbed on top of Eva before she had time to acknowledge where she was now. He was bent over her from one side, an arm propping his self up on either side of her head.

She forgot all of her annoyances, and anxieties in the minutes they spent locked in their desperate kiss. She had yielded to him completely and let him move her across the room, and hover above her, showering her with kisses. She had never felt so wrapped up in a passionate moment as she was then, and felt weirdly secure in his arms.

Eric ran his fingers over her femininely smooth skin and pressed his body ever so slightly against hers. Eva responded by trailed her palms down his back, and sliding her fingers under his shirt. Eric's seeking fingers traced from her neck to her chest, and his fangs made a hasty appearance.

They caught Eva of guard, who was gazing down at him lovingly. She jumped slightly, and feeling it, Eric looked up at her.

Eva smiled reassuringly, and then brought her hand back up to touch his fangs gently. They were smooth and curved slightly, almost beautiful, the tips being perfectly pointed. They enchanted her, the way they appear and retracted. The way they made men and woman look so incredibly animalistic and savage. Eva found herself admitting to herself how extremely in awe of the undead race she was – of course she'd never let herself tell Eric that.

Eric suddenly and playfully licked her finger, and Eva found herself giggling.

"You are so enchanting," Eric breathed into her ear, shifting himself to one side of her. Eva responded by stretching into him, her head nestled slightly in his neck as he held her firmly and kissed her shoulder. She was in complete bliss, with her pulse racing and Eric's excitement evident, she wanted to freeze that moment and just stay there for a while. Her first romantic encounter with a vampire, and she felt so right, like this is how her life should be. Did everyone feel like this, she wondered, if so, it's no surprise so many women are damn crazy over vamps. Maybe it's just Eric Northman; maybe his seducing is just so highly effective. Maybe I'm glamoured, she suddenly panicked. No, he said he found no joy in that, and she believed him. His joy in the pursuit was evident in his ever lustful gazes.

"How so?" Eva whispered back breathlessly.

"I don't know, I don't know why my kind is so drawn to you, but we are, and I am thrilled I got to you first."

Eva thumped him playfully in the chest.

"I have a choice, it's not about who gets to me first."

"Of course, of course," he mumbled, sucking greedily on her neck. The moment for chatter was over; Eva could feel that as Eric pressed his full weight against her. He began to unbutton her shirt, revealing her soft womanly stomach. Eva began to get self-conscious, suddenly very alarmingly aware she wasn't the most toned girl in the world. She subconsciously drew back from his touch and Eric immediately gazed at her inquisitively with those intense eyes. He didn't understand her sudden anxious, shy expression at first, but as she tugged her shirt back together slightly it dawned on him.

Brushing her fingers back, he shuffled back on the bed until his lips could comfortably kiss her stomach. Eva involuntarily smiled girlishly, and then sank back into the sheets.

Eric was hooking his fingers slowly on the elastic of her trousers. He grazed his fangs hauntingly over her stomach, and she moved herself slightly upwards towards him.

This mysterious girl that had somehow drawn him like a moth to the flame was finally in his hands, and Eric was ready to lavish her with attention, revel in her womanly body. There were so many questions irritating him though.

He pulled her pyjama bottoms down slightly, allowing him to kiss and brush her hipbone with his fangs.

He did want some answers though, desperately.

Her breathing grew deeper, as he moved back to her stomach to tease her.

She worked for someone else; he wanted to know who he was seducing.

He looked up to see her smile at him blissfully, and he realised he had to know.

"Who do you work for?"

Eva was immediately stung and dejected.

"Is this why you are here?" she breathed angrily.

"No," Eric replied honestly.

She shook her head and tried to regulate her breathing to a normal pace. She was furious, more at herself than him. In her eyes, he'd given her a damn big hint that he wanted her to find out if she had some major role in the vampire politics – which she really didn't. The sex must just be the icing on the cake for him, she thought irately. Did he want to find out if she was any use to him that much she'd use her for a plaything, seduce her, and manipulate her?

You don't know a damn thing about this man Eva, she told herself irritably. You don't know who he is, what he's like, who he works for. This brings me to the next why I'm being stupid point; you shouldn't have sex with someone when their employer and state define part of who they are. She mentally babbled to herself as Eric looked at her, waiting.

"Get off me," she finally hissed.

Eric made no motion and she tried to wriggle out from under him. He swiftly clamoured over her again, an arm on either side of her.

"I am not here because I want to use you in vampire negotiations, or anything of the sort."

Eva was quiet for a moment, but in her head questions where whirling round a mile a minute.

"You don't even know my second name," she eventually murmured.

She was ashamed of herself for letting it get this far. In her hormonal female over reacting mind she felt totally used. She looked at him as defiantly as she could, but she must have looked somewhat emotional because Eric eventually sighed and swung himself of her.

"Women…" he muttered, pacing round the bed as Eva sat up and partly redressed herself. He had been so close, so close. He was partway through undressing her; she had yielded to him, ready to give herself to him. "Go on then, what is your second name," he growled.

"Hunter," she replied indifferently, smoothing down her hair.

"Right." He continued to pace up and down. "Now I know your second name…"

"No," she stated curtly, glaring at him.

He made an angry noise that was almost a snarl.

"Oh just get some fangbanger to warm your bed tonight."

"I want _you_"

Eva was flattered, and then remembered how she was overcome with rage not two minutes ago.

"That's nice, but if you ask me who I _work for_ while undressing me, that makes me somewhat doubt your motives."

He looked at her with an intensely pleading look, and Eva had to force herself to look away before she gave in to him.

"No, please, just give me some space?"

Eric huffed audibly and turned from his pacing to march out the door. Eva was about to apologize, then stopped herself. I've done nothing wrong, she mentally chanted.

So her romantic moment was over just as fast as it began, and Eva now found herself sat alone on the crumpled bed sheets, with her clothes slightly askew looking at the door Eric had slammed. For a minute or two she regretted it, and wished she'd just shouted, Nevada State! Now take me Eric Northman! Then her pride took over and she was proud of herself for walking away, or rather telling him to walk away.

Taking a glance at the clock, she saw it was just about midnight. The night was just about halfway through and she felt like she'd been at this all night.

Hell, she was sick of vampires dictating where she should be, and what she should talk to. She knew there was no chance of curling up in bed and going to sleep, someone else would be knocking for her soon. God dammit, they can just find me, she thought mischievously. She knew if they tried hard it would take them less than five minutes to locate her, but she felt a little surge of freedom as she shook out her hair, pulled on a blue knit dress and strappy wedge shoes, and skipped out the door.

The hallway was quiet, and she gathered she was on one of the average human floors. The hallways were lit with an eerie florescent red lighting, making the shadows of the furniture loom in a menacing yet strangely artistic way. Eva realised she hadn't a clue where she was in relation to the rest of the building; in her short period of working here she'd never strayed above the ground floor.

The corridors were breezy and made her shiver slightly, as she randomly picked a direction and started walking. She wondered how many human rooms there were in comparison to the vamp rooms. It was a vampire hotel but a lot of vampires brought partners, sometimes love matches but mostly walking blood banks.

A tall young man with a pointed nose sauntered past Eva, looking haughty. She stuck her tongue out at him when his back was to her, then actually giggled at herself. She was feeling more than a little empowered at telling Eric where to go, and it was making her giddy and childish. She walked with a spring in her step for a bit until she realised she really was caught in a labyrinth of corridors. She paused for a moment then finally spotted a lift.

The ground floor was even busier tonight. Stalls were lined up against the walls of the large hall and ballroom as usual, and business must be booming tonight for the vampire entrepreneurs. Eva waltzed through the crowds of spangley dressed vamps and the odd human in her breezy blue dress and held her high. She didn't dress to please these people.

She passed by a large gold framed mirror and saw her less than best reflection. Her wavy hair was loose and tousled, falling past her shoulders in messy locks. There were the traces of bruising still on her cheek, and she looked pale and unhealthy. Eva remembered she _still_ hadn't eaten anything and walking away resolutely from her scruffy appearance; she went to find the minuscule restaurant area.

It was noticeably small presumably due to the aim of the hotel being to accommodate vampires, but it was no less posh. Even the wallpaper looked expensive, but Eva was desperately hungry and walked in dissuaded by her shabbier than expected appearance.

The maître d' smiled at her with a practiced pleasantness and showed her to an empty table by the wall. Eva looked round, most humans eating there were alone, and so she had no qualms about her solitude. A waiter handed her a menu and a jug of water before her backside had touched the seat, and with him staring at her with a swift feeling of pressure, Eva pointed randomly at a pasta dish. He nodded, snatched back her menu, and rushed back to the kitchen. She was a big fathomed at his need for speed, but instead glanced the wine menu. She could afford to go all out, and began looking for the most expensive wine on the list.

When Eva looked up, the pale short vampire was sat across the table from her.

"Sweet Jesus!" she yelped, dropping the menu. She recognised him as the man from the lobby when the fight was ensuing, was he stalking her now.

"I'm sorry my dear, I didn't mean to alarm you," he drawled in a more girly tone than one would expect to come out his mouth, and Eva nodded slowly as he leaned forward. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Y…yes…thanks," she stammered, lost in thought on who he was and why he was gate crashing her dinnertime.

"Let me introduce myself, I am Russell Edgington," he said then paused for a moment, before announcing his title with a sense of egotistic grandeur. "The king of Mississippi."

Eva's heart did a double take. This man was her savoir from the previous night; she remembered Lucio mentioning him…and Eric. She then remembered Eric's warning. Of course, Eric would probably wall me of from contact with any other vampire if he could, she pondered.

"Thank you so much," she blurted out.

"For the dress?"

Eva paused and looked at him.

"You sent the dress?"

"Yes, I assure you no one else could guess a size and flattering stitch at a glance like that."

Eva couldn't suppress a smile; she never thought she'd be sat across a table from a camp vampire.

"Thank you so much, it was beautiful. I was referring to saving my life though."

"Last night? You're very welcome, I happened to be in the right place at the right time for a snack."

Eva giggled again. Eric's warning seemed pretty empty to her now.

"You've had a rough time over the past few nights," he added, looking at her intently. Making eye contact, something in his expression suddenly unnerved Eva. It wasn't quite hungry, or lewd, but as if there was a motive in his mind. "The Nevada vampires don't seem to be looking after you very well."

"No, I mean yes," babbled Eva, "I mean, they are, but it's me stumbling into danger."

"Ah, but they don't seem to be escorting you very well, if you're constantly 'stumbling into danger'"

Eva thought of them keeping her at the hotel, and Lucio watching her interactions closely, and Vincent who she suspected was shadowing her at times.

"Oh No, they do."

"Well then, where are they now?"

With that, he leaned forward bearing a toothy grin. Eva found her palms sweating, and her throat going dry. She was uncomfortable to the extreme; she'd never been scared of someone's smile before. Why was he watching her, sending her gifts, popping up wherever she was? He was gay, so it wasn't a case like Eric's. Eva suddenly recalled her conversation with Eric – "they licked it clean." Oh God. Oh dear God, he's tasted my blood, she mentally shrieked. She felt possibly sick now. She had to get away from him.

"You make a good point; they must be looking for me. I should go find them, I am their employee. They are paying me, and putting faith in me too…" she babbled, getting up without haste. Russell Edgington's smile widened, he was sensing her unease, and he was amused by it.

"They've tasted your blood; they should know where you are. Master Lucio could find you if he wanted to. If he cared, I'm sure he'd appear while you are so _distressed."_

He was openly commenting on her jitteriness, he was toying with her. 'If he _cared' _what's that suppose to mean? Eva thought angrily. She gulped, and nodded, feeling flushed and shaky.

"Well, they are paying me, they shouldn't have to chase me down all the time."

Russell nodded slowly, his bemused expression still in place, ever creepy.

"Thank you for the dress, and the saving me and all…bye."

She figured it wasn't a formal dinner, or a planned dinner, he'd just popped up. Therefore she could walk out without being rude if she wished.

She marched straight out, back the way she came, through the crowded corridors. Eric was stood by one of the stalls with a petite pretty blonde, and as he saw Eva rushing past him he raised his head with a small smile. Changed her mind has she? He wondered egotistically.

"Every time I see you, you look more flustered and scruffy. Atleast you're not in pyjamas now," he teased as she stumbled by, dipping out of earshot of the blonde.

"Fuck you," Eva growled impulsively, as she staggered on.

I will end up killing one day, Eric mentally snarled, watching her go with a furious look.

Eva was even worse though. She was livid, pulsating with confusion, and anger and regret. She hated these stupid creatures. She hated them sneaking up on her, and bullying her, and stalking her, and fighting over her, and bearing there fangs at her as if it's a fun and carefree thing to do. She slammed the buttons on the elevator, stamped down the hall, and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her.

She was tired and shaking, with both fear and anger. She'd feared for her life more in the past few days than in her whole existence. Her palms were clammy, and she was flushed and dizzy.

On top of it all, she thought fuming, I s_till _didn't get any dinner.

The dress was draped over the chair when Eva spotted it., the beautiful fabric shining even in the low light. Eva hated it, she hated its stupid beauty. To her, it stood for all the pretentious airs and stupid graces the vamps sported. With an impetuous motion, she lurched across the room and started rummaging through all the drawers of the bedside table, then after an unsuccessful search, ran into the bathroom. In a cabinet was a nail file. It was no switchblade or fabric scissors but it would do.

Back in the bedroom, she snatched up the dress and gouged the nail file in. It just snagged the material at first, but with some considerably forceful stabs it eventually ripped. With the first tear made, Eva dropped her implement and clawed into the fabric with her nails.

She shrieked angrily savagely as she shredded the beautiful garment. When it was in a state of horrific disrepair, she sank into the chair, panting and sobbing. Subsequently, she hid her head in her hands and cried hysterically.


	8. Chapter 8

**Going away next week, so may be slower updating than usual. But I'll try and pack in a lot before I go ;)**

Eva Hunter was curled up in the large armchair, staring at the wall with red bloodshot eyes and mascara smears on her cheeks. It was well into the early hours of the morning, and the vamps were still awake in the Pyramids of Giza hotel.

There was an urgent knock on the door, but Eva just curled up further. She didn't want any more conversation with menacing, toying or threatening vamps tonight. There was another resounding knock and the sound of splintering wood.

"Oh shit," exclaimed a mumble voice from behind the door."Well if it's already broken…"

The door flew open, the lock shattering and the hinges whining painfully at the force of the battering. Lucio stamped in like it was his room, an expression deeply set on his face that was a mixture of confusion, anxiety and nervousness.

"Why are you crying?" he demanded, unangerily. Eva hated people to see her cry; she couldn't bear it, and instantly burrowed her face in her hands. Lucio sighed, and with the grace of ten, slide to his knees in front of her. Gently, he took her arms away from her face and smiled at her.

"I'm sick of your kind, I'm sick of you all playing around with me, I realise you've all forgotten what feelings are but that doesn't make me feel better," she snapped in his face. Lucio looked stung, and slowly let go of her wrists. Eva began to regret taking it out on him; really he'd only been good to her.

"Would you like me to leave?" he asked quietly. Eva paused for a moment, looking at his doglike eyes.

"No," she replied softly, taking his hands. He smiled softly, and nodded at her to move up. Eva shuffled to the side of the chair, and he hopped on with swiftness like a ballet move, and then pulled Eva into his side.

It was a cosy set up she never envisioned herself in, but she was happy. Due to Lucio's lack of life, he didn't breathe, so for the few long minutes they were just sat in each other's company, the only sound was Eva's deep harsh breathes. Then as her breathing grew more steady and calm, Lucio began lightly tracing his fingertips in circles over her arm. She sank into him, warm and comfortable and growingly sleepy.

"You smell of Eric Northman," he said eventually. Eva sighed.

"We didn't do anything."

"I wasn't accusing you of anything, I was…just saying."

Eva looked at him curiously.

"And what if I told you we had?"

Lucio stared at the wall with a struggling expression.

"I'd be bothered," he said conclusively.

"Tell me," Eva continued, "Why did you break down my door?"

"Oh sorry about that, I was worried about you."

Russell Edgington's comment played on her mind again – "If he cared, I'm sure he'd appear while you are so _distressed."_

"Why?" she found herself asking. Lucio raised an eyebrow.

"Well I've tasted your blood, and even though you haven't had mine, because we're…friends…I can somewhat hear you when you're in a state – and earlier I was hearing you loud and clear."

"Why didn't you come earlier then?" Eva nagged like an old wife.

"I and Vincent were busy, I couldn't get away," he replied apologetically, "I assure you, the minute I got free from engagements and business, I came straight to find you."

"You're so unvampire-like," Eva blurted randomly.

"What?"

"You're not cold or aloof or creepy,"

Lucio snapped his fangs in place, and grinned mischievously.

"Nope, you're still just like…a guy," she giggled.

"I know," he sighed, retracting his fangs. "Vincent said it was like I always had vamp in my blood, even when I was turned I was less…carnivorous…"

Eva giggled again, but was confused. Could vampires vary as humans do, they are portrayed as these all right cold hungry creatures of night but here was a clear contradiction to that image. Unless it was a long complex act?

"Tell me about being turned."

Lucio's fangs appeared once more, he appeared pained almost.

"My life was taken away from me, it's not a quirky interesting anecdote, it's not enthralling or riveting."

"I didn't ask for a fairytale," Eva assured softly.

"It will scare you though,"

"Why?"

"It's like yours."

Eva froze, she didn't like where this was going. Though she was curious now, she couldn't just let it go. She nodded to indicate him to carry on.

Lucio sighed, and held Eva tighter, s if for fear she'd literally fall apart in his arms.

"I was a student of the Nevada University, living in Las Vegas. I was in my last year, making me twenty one. Student debts are pretty impressive, so I was living at home to save money. My Mum was an alcoholic, which can easily lead to many other stories but for now I'm telling you this one. I couldn't bear to see her in such a helpless, and _stupid _state, so I'd do what I could to stay away from home…I didn't even consider it a home."

"Your father?" Eva inquired.

"Never knew him, again, another story. Anyway, I worked two jobs, and one was at a bar."

Lucio was quiet and looked at Eva as she caught her breath. Just like Eva, the waitress.

"You've got to remember, vampires came out from the shadows six years ago, this being eight years ago. I had no idea us creatures of the night existed. A woman came in one night, I'll never forget her. She was pale and beautiful, and everything about her screamed seductive. When I walked past her, it felt like time slowed down. I didn't speak to her while she was in the bar, but when I left in the early hours of the morning, she was waiting for me. That's where my memory of the night disappears into a big black hole."

"She glamoured you?"

"Yes. It pains me to not know what she did…or what I did…but that Glamouring for you. Next thing I remember, I was on my doorstep. I went to work as normal the next night, and the night after, but I didn't see her again – until she came in with company. Five of them sat at my bar, three woman and two men. One was Felipe himself, but at the time he was just a creepy guy at a bar. Again they glamoured me when I left, and again I remember next putting my key in the front door, but it being 5 hours later…and I had bite marks on my neck."

He paused for a moment and looked at his hands.

"Just like you, I don't know why they were attracted to me. I don't know why they all swarmed to me like bees to a hive. One day my life was normal, next I was being sucked into this other world. I was so scared; I wore my collar up and walked around like a nervous wreck. One night a few nights after I received the bites, my Mother was in a particularly bad faze. She screamed at me, she threw bottles at me. Being already on the edge I couldn't take it, and walked out randomly into the night. Prowling the streets I felt lost, which is when the beautiful vampire appeared to me. She's dead now, executed for staking a sheriff. But then she introduced herself to me as Carina. She was blonde and breathtaking and made me nervous. She told me I was irresistible to her and she'd felt and heard how distressed I felt that night because she'd _tasted my blood _and I hers. I was thoroughly shaken and tried to run. She tackled me with ease, promised me she cared for me, promised she'd take care of me. I screamed and seeing it as a rejection, she howled and bit down on me."

He sighed and looked back up at the wall.

"Finding out about vampires back when they we're all hush were a big deal, and Carina was one of the vamp authorities. Felipe was livid, and she begged him for mercy. Felipe decided I was a curious character and didn't kill me, but kept me in their lavish lair. I became like a pet to them."

"They found you interesting and you became their mascot?"

"Pretty much, told you it wasn't that interesting…"

"No but it's still scary. What am I doing right now?"

Lucio look pained again, and looked at his thumbs.

"It's not exactly the same," he finally hissed.

"How so?" Eva cried, shifting out of his arms to face him. "You all took an interest in me, and now here I am, being your pet. How exactly is it different?"

"You have me."

Eva's stomach tightened, as while she felt a rush of affection for Lucio, a realisation came to her.

"When I asked you how you were turned before, you wouldn't tell me. You thought it would scare me off, before I met Felipe De Castro and got in deep. I could have got out then, now I'm staying in the same building as you…"

Lucio clenched his fists and looked guilty as Eva continued, tears wetting her cheeks slightly.

"You roped me in, you acted like you cared, and you did to me exactly what Carina did to you."

When she turned, red stained Lucio's cheeked. He looked aggrieved, and wounded.

"I did what I was sent to do, I met you, I escorted you. Eva, if I ever did little things to try and not scare you off, I am so sorry. But after I met you, I knew it would pain me to see you walk away again. I believed Carina acted like she cared for me up till a few days ago. I figured I just tasted good, or smelt good or something. Then I met you, and experienced the curiosity and endearment someone like you or I compel in people. "

Another stream of blood dripped down his cheek, and Eva, who never imagined herself having a tender moment with a vampire, nestled back into him.

"I'm sorry I played a part in your growing involvement with our kind."

"I'm not angry."

"You're not?" Lucio whispered his face close to hers.

"No, I'm just scared," Eva admitted, wiping his cheekbone. The red stained her fingers, but for once she wasn't fazed by it all. "You're so humanlike."

"Funny, when I was human they said I was so vampire like."

They were comforted by each other like old friends. Like two people who are wholly understanding of one another. Despite one being human and one being a vampire.

"So eventually they turned you…?"

"Yes," Lucio replied quietly. "It got to the point where they had to decide whether to kill me or turn me…deciding I was too interesting to lose, they turned me…Victor to be precise…"

"Victor Maddens your maker?"

"Yes."

"Not Carina?"

"No, Felipe wanted me loyal to someone he wholly trusted. I was turned to be a vampire serving those that are authority, not to be Carina's plaything."

Eva nodded slowly, looking down at her red fingers.

"Taste it," Lucio urged randomly, holding Eva's hands out so the blood glistened in the light.

"Ew! No," she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose at it. "I may be a bit more at ease round you lot these days, but that's something else all together…"

"Never wondered what it's like?"

"Not in the slightest."

Lucio grinned.

"It will make you stronger if you drink vampire blood, and more alert, and sexier," he teased.

"I'm pretty damn happy being as alert and strong as I am now."

Lucio gave her a sideways glance, and Eva didn't let emotion show on her face.

"A blood bond would come in useful you know, I would hear you better, sense your every emotion."

"Is that what you're after?"

"The slightest sign of trouble I'd be there for you."

Eva laughed, taking Lucio by surprise.

"That's very nice, but I don't intend to get into anymore trouble."

Lucio scowled for a moment, and then raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah yeah I know, trouble will probably find me. For now though, I'd like to envision a bright future…"

"Fine," he grunted.

"If you're trying to seduce me though," Eva said bluntly, "You're wasting your time right now. I'm not going from lying under Eric Northman at the beginning of the night, to lying on top of you at the end of the night."

Lucio looked at her horrified.

"Lying _under _him? I thought you said nothing happened!" he cried.

"Nothing did happen; I pushed him of at the last minute."

"But something almost happened?"

"Honestly, yes?"

"Then what?"

"Don't ask personal questions," Eva muttered, turning red as she remembered Eric's insulting question while he was stripping her off.

"Oh go on, confide in me, it will be fun. Like on girly nights you gossip about what happens in you love life," he urged unconvincingly.

"Ha, nice try," Eva snorted.

They stared at each other for a suspenseful few minutes, until Lucio finally sighed and looked away.

"Fine, be secretive. But you managed to push Eric Northman of you? You amaze me."

"I am pretty amazing," Eva grinned, stretching lazily.

"So tell me, did anything specific happen to trigger the tears and the…" Lucio indicated to the shreds of dress around the chair, "rage?"

"Oh," Eva mumbled, remembering her encounter with the King of Mississippi. "I met Russell Edgington…"

Lucio looked alert; sitting up and gave Eva a stern look.

"And?"

"And he talked to me, made a comment on how I should be escorted better as I was 'stumbling into danger', and just thoroughly creeped me out."

"Right…" Lucio mumbled, appearing deep in thought.

"Oh, and turns out the dress was from him."

He sighed, then noticing the shreds of the material, grinned slightly.

"Money well spent on his part evidentially…"

Eva giggled.

"I got a bit carried away."

"A bit! A wild animal would do this scale of damage to it…"

"Or a vampire?" she teased.

"Or a vampire," Lucio smirked.

"I have my little savage side."

"Yes you do," Lucio agreed, brushing back the tangled waves of hair from Eva's face. "You seem to be somewhat underestimated."


	9. Chapter 9

**Oops, a lovely reviewer pointed out I've put Vincent instead of victor at some points. Sorry about that, I shall watch out in the future. I did promise I'll pack a lot in the week before I went away, so heres a short chapter before I run to college as I am now INCREDABLEY late…**

It was half four in the morning, and the sun would be rising soon. Lucio was slumped further in the chair, and started to slur his sentences together.

Eva giggled, and brushed the hair from his face. She was also becoming deliriously tired.

He'd been telling her about his brother from his human life, when he started to zone out. Their voices had become slightly more mumble, and they were flopped in the chair. Eva amusingly thought they must seem like children, mumbling on and yawning.

Eventually, Lucio decided he had to leave.

"I'll let you get some actually sleep," he said with a small smile.

"That would be nice, but I'm not sure how easy I can sleep while I'm lacking a door."

"Oh…" Lucio muttered, examining the door hanging off its hinges. "Good point…Hotel staff can fix it properly in the morning, for now…"

Eva never saw exactly what he did, but glancing at the hinges after he left she suspected he more or less forced the screws back in, on the hinges and on the lock. The door was splintered, tediously held together and had a hole where Lucio had knocked a little too forcefully, but it was functional for now.

"Thanks…" Eva giggled, swinging it back and forward and marvelling at the superhuman strength used to force screws in.

"You're welcome," Lucio purred, leaning in close to her face. He gazed straight into her eyes and sported a pleadings smile.

"Don't push your luck tonight," Eva teased.

"Cruel!" he retorted.

"Dignified," she laughed, ushering him gently out the door. "I'm not jumping from one man's lips to another within one night."

"Don't remind me of that…"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Then Eva found herself looking at an empty hall. With a girlish smile, she shut the door as best she could and crawled into the big luxurious hotel bed.

Her sleep was long and deep and uninterrupted by dreams. When Eva woke up and rolled over groggily, the clock informed her it was three in the afternoon.

All that lovely sleep I've caught up on, she thought blissfully. She took her free afternoon to pamper her human self. She took a long bath, she ordered half the menu of room service, and she tried on all her new clothes. She felt thoroughly refreshed and by the time it was six o'clock, she was looking forward to seeing Lucio again, even looking forward to socialising with the vampires. Atleast she somewhat knew where her loyalties lay now.

She was wearing a loose cut violent dress that rippled from her shoulders to her knees. It wasn't low cut, and wasn't restraining yet still beautiful. She teamed it with some white heels, and let her freshly washed chestnut hair flow over her shoulders and round her face, the glossy locks framing her face. She didn't wear as much make up as normal and minimal jewellery, but when she looked in the mirror she was feeling more confident than normal.

She'd come to terms with a few things over her couple of Eva-time hours. Firstly she'd realised she was well and truly entangled with the vampires now, they we're part of her life and her part of theirs. Secondly she admitted she wasn't as scared and angry as she expected to be, she was easing in with them, finding out who she felt was more trustworthy, who had motives. She also admitted she even enjoyed it all at times, her morbid curiosity permitting her to enjoy the thrill and excitement. Except the beginning of last night, that was more emotional turmoil than anything.

However, she'd had an attitude change since last night. She'd come to realise she could either cry and wail and try to ignore what was going on around her, or she could embrace it and laugh in the face of adversity. If she was going to die or…worse, she would be strong as long as she could. She felt a womanly empowerment most woman felt watching Bridget Jones with a tub of ice cream and singing along to Chaka Kahn…

"'I'm every woman' is quite right," she giggled, tucking her room keys in her underwear for lack of a bag.

Sauntering down the hallway with a girlish grin on her face, she had decided to meet Lucio and whoever else she'd encounter tonight downstairs – no collecting for Eva tonight.

It wasn't quite nightfall yet, but the older of the vamps would have already risen. The young ones, such as Lucio and Natalie would get up in the next hour or so, after the sun had fully set. When Lucio came to find her she'd already be chatting, she'd be confident and breezy rather than being ushered into the circle of vampires while feeling unsettled and nervous.

Am I trying to simply impress Lucio? No, you're giving yourself a complex Eva, she thought. With that she pushed the notion out of mind and entered the lift.

The elevator music was formal and boring as ever, and going down, Eva leaned against the glassed wall and hummed a different tune to herself.

Then from somewhere in the hotel there was an almighty roar, the elevator stopped, and everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

**It's probably a BIG plus if you've read the books at this point, because I warn you, it does give away a bit of the plotline of the….eighth book? I think it's the eighth book. Well, a lot happens in the books, and my stories running alongside it so it's all in tune to the happenings of the book. **

**Plus, thank you for all the lovely reviews, I LOVE getting reviews :)  
**

**But if you've read the books or don't mind finding out a teeny bit of what happens at the end, read on!**

Eva Hunter was backed against the wall, her fingers scrabbling at the bar that ran round the elevator for some reassurance she was still in the lift. She couldn't see past a few inches, and her breathing echoed back at her as she was trapped in the dark little suspended box.

"Oh God, oh God…" she chanted, shuffling around the wall towards the door. When she felt the cool metal of the sliding doors, she scratched panicky at the crack in the two doors. There was no chance of them sliding open and her crawling out to light and fresh air, it was futile, but she clawed on.

After a few minutes she screamed at the doors and gave up. She banged on the walls, she shrieked, she wailed, but being trapped in there felt like being buried alive.

Then, there was a harsh ripping noise and less absence of light. When Eva looked up bewildered, the roof of the elevator had been torn of completely, and Eric Northman dropped down into the confined space.

"You can be awfully noisy when you want to be," he mocked, standing over her in a dominating way. Stepping away from him as best as she could in the box, she held her head high.

"Well, someone always comes to help do they not?"

"You forget, I am superhuman. I am vampire. With my age, I could hear you sobbing in a corner if I searched hard enough with my mind."

"Great…" Eva responded blankly to his ego rant. "This tells me what's going on, or is helpful right now, how exactly?"

Eric sighed, and then leaned back against the opposite wall as if they were at a garden party.

"The Fellowship of the Sun has cleverly snuck in a succession of bombs, which are now being deployed in series around the hotel. In a couple of hours this place will be rubble."

"And you're calm, cool and collected, how!" Eva shrieked, waving her arms in the air in exasperation.

"My Sookie's out, my child – Pam is out, and now here you are safe and sound and soon to also be out as well."

Eva hadn't a clue who these people were, but couldn't push away the flattering feeling of being third on his list of priorities.

"Right, and do you not have a Queen or King you are supposed to be loyal too…or are you a king yourself!"

"No, I am a Sheriff, of area five in Louisiana."

"Good stuff…"

"And you work for…"

"Nice try."

"My Queen will be safe and sound; she has many loyal ones round her to protect her. How about your Queen…King?"

"Oh stop, get me out this lift please."

Eric grunted in frustration, then in a swift movement he stepped forward, wound his arms round Eva and leapt out the hole in the elevator ceiling. Eva glanced at it in awe as they passed through it, the sides jagged where the thick sheets of aluminium had been ripped apart like a child with a piece of paper.

"I'm singlehandedly racking up a large bill for damages at this hotel," she muttered.

"Are you delirious? Did you not just hear a word I said? Very soon there won't be a hotel to speak of." Eric chided.

"Oh yeah…"

Eva's mind whirled as Eric swiftly jumped, or flew, up the elevator shaft. Light appeared at the top, and as Eva's stomach started to do double flips and her hair fluttered around her head obscuring her vision, Eric leapt abruptly through a hole in the wall. The hole turned out to be lift doors plied open with vampire strength, and Eva was now lying on the floor of one of the vampire levels of the hotel.

"How cosy," Eric breathed leeringly, and Eva realised he was rolled on top of her.

"Oomph…get of me…you have no idea of life or death situations…urgh…do you?" Eva snapped, trying to shift his hefty stone self from on top of her.

"I am already death," he laughed, rolling of and flying to his feet.

Eva hissed at him in a catlike manner, while clumsily getting up.

Then another blast shook the building.

Shrieking and shaking as the floor trembled, Eva fell into Eric, who held her up firmly.

"Please get me out of here," she begged. Instead of teasing her, or interrogating her, for once, Eric just nodded reassuringly. For a slight moment Eva wondered if she saw his protective or responsible side.

"The bombs are being detonated from the lower level up, which is why I brought you to a higher level," he informed her calmly, walking her down the hallway gripping her arm securely.

Eva was thoroughly rattled, but Eric's presence did give her some feeling of safety. Though she worried for Lucio, and Vincent, and even Natalie. As younger vampires they'd still have been asleep when the first bomb hit, and maybe even still now as the sun hadn't quite set over Lake Michigan yet.

Eva hurriedly wiped away the hot tears welling before Eric noticed, and stumbled on after him.

"I'm going to throw you out the window," he suddenly announced.

"You're WHAT?" Eva shrieked, pulling away from him sharply.

"It may have escaped your notice in your little dreamy head of yours that this hotel is pyramidical. Therefore your biggest chance of safety is sliding down the walls, of course you'll be a bit bumped and bruised but it's probably a small chance to pay for your life."

Eva stared at him ludicrously, still alarmed by the whole, throw you out the window, plan.

"Of course I could drain you and turn you on the spot?"

"Yeah right," Eva scoffed, "Besides, that would hardly be practical, so I not have to spend the night with you in some dark hole before I wake up a creature of the night? A bombing would surely disrupt the process."

Eric stared at her amazed.

"You know much about being turned…how?"

"Hmm, eavesdropping, internet and instinct," Eva answered, unabashed. Eric continued to stare at her in wonder. "Oh hurry up and toss me out the window," she growled.

Nodding, Eric kicked open a door to a random vampire suite. The vamps occupying it had already been evacuated, half drunk bottles of True Blood standing on the table. Eva followed him in, still anxious at being thrown of a building.

"Right," Eric muttered, smashing the window with his fist with incredible ease. "Come on."

The sun was almost invisible now, the last orange glow fizzling out in the distance. Eva looked down at the rally of vampire ambulances, and shrieking human companions, and gleeful reporters growing around the base of the glass pyramid.

"What about you?"

"My Queen may have loyal supporters but they can be idiots, and I may be necessary."

Eric nodded and stretched out his hand; Eva took it bravely and leaning on him, stepped out the window. Tossing her was an understatement; it was more of a gentle shove once she was lying against the glass.

"Thank you," she whispered breathlessly to him just as she began to slide.

One minute she was looking at Eric, trying to hold herself together and clutching his hand, next she was sliding down to safety. The wind whistled in her ears, and her hair blew about, as did her dress. Her stomach as turning and whooping as she swooped down the side of the building. Then there was another earth shaking explosion.

It caused the glass Eva was trusting with her weight to shatter, and Eva collapsed into the building again.

In a sea of shattered glass, Eva lay trying to catch her struggling breath. She could feel her own blood around her, hot and sticky. She could taste it also, metallic and sickening. Her head span in and out of consciousness, as she lay on smoky floor only a few floors down from where Eric had let her go.

"Breathe," she told herself, "Move."

Moments passed, and the screams and cries of those in the building we're haunting. Humans and vampires alike broken in light of what happened. Injured and tortured, there wails floated through the blackened corridors.

Finally, Eva gathered her will power and thinking of Eric… Vincent, Russell, Felipe…Lucio, all the vampires she'd met and shared experienced with over the past few days, she staggered up. Dragging herself by her hands, she put some strength into her knees until they supported her to stand. Glass fell of her body, out of her hair. It was everywhere, and as she took a step it sliced into her now bare feet.

She wasn't sure whether the wet heat on her face was due to tears or blood, but she ignored it and continued taking small steps, drawing strength back into her body with sheer willpower. The walls of the hotel were now a metal frame, with jagged sheets of glass here and there that hadn't smashed in the force of the bombing. Therefore Eva could only stumble into the corridor.

Her first instinct was to find Eric again, but he would be seeing to his Queen now. Remembering what he said about the bombs moving up through the hotel her warped logic told her to move down. She thought she needed to get to a lower level, as the last bomb had gone off on this floor, therefore the next would be on a floor above her. She failed to factor in the building would probably collapse in on her.

It all seemed a bit hopeless, but Eva carried on, concentrating on breathing and ignoring the slicing pains in her feet as she walked.

Then the moment came when she decided she would die. True to her reasoning, a shuddering explosion rocketed through the fragile hotel. The ceiling groaned and started to collapse, and shrieking backed against the wall which was also collapsing.

The timing of her savoir was impeccable and as the room crumbled in around her, strong bony hands grabbed her round the waist, hoisting her over a shoulder, and catapulted her out the window again sharpish.

Her savoir also launched himself out the window, and before Eva could land (which would ultimately and undoubtedly kill her), he landed with the agility of a cat and caught her.


	11. Chapter 11

Eva grunted, and crawled to her knees. The blackened heaps of rubble around her walled her in, and the night had fully set in now. It was dark, and the vampires where beginning to truly awaken.

A loud roar of anger in the distance startled her; it rose above the pained wails of the injured. Eva looked round frantically for her savoir, and her heart froze when she saw him crouched near her, fangs fully extended and eyes hungrily on her.

"You smell delicious," crooned Russell Edgington, shifting towards her slightly.

Eva backed away slightly, but she knew in her heart the moment he attacked she was done for. She was bleeding and broken and even if she was at peak physical health, she'd never escape a hungry vampire on her own.

"What do you want from me?" she sobbed, trying to delay her death.

"I don't want anything _from_ you, I want _you_," he hissed creepily.

"Why! Why does everyone want me? What am I that makes me so special?"

Russell infuriatingly ignored her question, but began stalking her, his hands shaking in temptation.

"I don't want to kill you." He said it as if he was trying to hold himself back, rather than address Eva.

"Then don't!" she cried exasperated. In her frantic swirling brain she suddenly mentally commented that he somewhat resembled a weasel. She was amazed at herself for making light-hearted physical comparisons at a time like this. Maybe an otter, she then added.

His self restraint gave way, and quicker than lighting he pounced. Eva shrieked but her voice was lost among the chorus of everyone else in pain.

His teeth bit down hard and savagely into her neck, and Eva yelped as the sheer pain took over all her senses. He fed on her barbarically, moaning happily as if he were engaging in a different activity…

Then he had disappeared, and Eva was alone with her pain and the gaping gash in the nape of her neck. She screamed hysterically in the pain, while looking round for the reason her attacker was thrown of her. Which is when she spotted him crouched over a different figure.

"No!" Eva screeched, as Russell Edgington kicked Lucio with a force that sent him spiralling several metres back. Lucio had heard her, Lucio had finally reached her, and it was Lucio that bravely tackled a vampire that was centuries his senior of Eva.

Russell turned back to Eva with a malicious smile on his face, and her blood smeared savagely round his mouth. She could just about make out the stains and gleam of his teeth in the night time. Then he sprang again.

Lucio jumped him mid air, and the pair went crashing down into the rubble. Eva shrieked and, despite her body crying in pain and the physical weakness she felt, flung herself towards the rubble calling Lucio's name.

Lucio was thrown again, violently and forcefully and hit Eva on his ascension into the air out of the rubble. The pair of them rocketed back, and Lucio landed heavily on Eva. She could tell he'd smelled her blood, and it was all he could do to ignore it and go on throwing the King of Mississippi back.

Russell Edgington came flying out the rubble heap, arms extended and fingers poised like claws to rip into Lucio's throat. Lucio rolled of Eva, and in his swift roll, grabbed her. He pulled her away and Russell landed where she lay not two seconds ago.

Lucio positioned himself in front of Eva, crouched and fangs bared.

"You will not harm her," he hissed.

Russell Edgington just smiled, and looked down on him as a cat would a mouse.

"I am older than you can imagine, and could rip you limb from limb at the bat of an eyelid." Eva winced at this, hot tears streaking down her face rapidly. "Step aside boy, you are an ineffective defence and will be a martyr for her life."

Eva flung her arms round Lucio's neck and buried her head in his neck.

"Leave, don't die stupidly," she whispered.

"No," he retorted passionately to the pair of them.

"I'll be fine," Eva lied.

Lucio didn't move, he just increased the tension in his stance, leaning forward and straightening his back.

The King of Mississippi took this on board, and true to his word, in a bat of an eye sprang forward on Lucio. He kicked him sideways, and jumped on his, bringing his fangs down on Lucio's shoulder like a guillotine.

Lucio grunted in pain, and kicked him off, but Russell Edgington was much stronger and older. He had Lucio tackled again before he could stand up. Blood poured from Lucio's shoulder, spreading on his ripped and slightly blackened in places white blouse.

Eva screamed harder than she ever imagined she would, as the King dug his fangs into Lucio's chest.

This was the part where someone always interjected, someone always heard her screams. There was also someone in the nick of time, the bloody occurrences never happened. Things always nearly happened, but now it was really taking place. Right before Eva's eyes, Lucio shook and bled in front of her eyes as the King of Mississippi toyed with him.

Then her prayers we're answered and a low rumbling snarl sounded from behind her. Before Eva could turn round to see who it was, the savoir leapt over her head.

Victor Madden dove into action to save his vampire child.


	12. Chapter 12

Victor Madden flung himself into Russell Edgington, and bit down on his arm as the pair of them rolled into the wreckages of the Pyramids of Giza hotel. Eva was on her knees a few metres away from where Lucio howled in pain.

Shaking, she crawled towards him, whispering his name over and over again. He was curled into the foetal position, blood soaking his shirt and smearing his face.

Eva was inches away from Lucio, when Victor came flying into her and Eva was thrown into the dust. She squealed in the pain, her skin still slashed from the glass.

"Don't underestimate me," Victor roared, bounding to his feet again, ignoring Eva crumpled at his feet.

"You are older than me?" The King of Mississippi purred, emerging from the dust clouds. Eva was also curious amidst her angst; she thought Victor was a young vampire.

"You have no idea." He had a gleam in his teeth, and malice in his eyes.

Eva ignored the angry face off, and turned to crawl to Lucio again. He was healing already, but slowly and evidentially, painfully. He writhed in pain and saw Eva edging towards him amongst the chaos. His eyes glistened as he looked at her lovingly, and Eva tried to form something close to a reassuring smile. When she was inches away from him, she collapsed onto his chest, tears abundant.

Victor and Russell jumped at each other, embracing in an angry scuffle mid air. Crashing to the ground, Russell Edgington dove to snap his fangs at Victor, but Victor hurtled out the way, and grabbing Russell's ankle and hurling him into the air. He then, with unimaginable stealth, leapt into the air and grabbed him by the hair, then slammed him to the ground. Before Russell could retaliate, Victor was on him, gnashing his fangs into the little man viciously.

Eva turned away from the superhuman scuffle to Lucio who moaned beneath her.

"You're healing?" she whispered breathlessly.

He nodded, then reaching up to cradle her face with his palm, he pulled her in close.

"Drink," he instructed hoarsely.

"No." She pulled her face away. "You need your blood."

"My blood will replenish itself. Look at you; you look like you're dying."

Eva recognised the pain and anguish her body was suffering, the way it shuddered and shook and bled. She had tried to push the burning ache to the back of her mind, but it was overwhelming. She traced her fingers over the deep set gashes in Lucio's chest and neck, the blood staining her fingers.

"Drink," Lucio urged.

Eva gulped, she was scared. In a moment of insane reasoning, she thought how she didn't want to lose herself. She didn't want to become less Eva. However Lucio was right, she was dying.

She leaned in, tracing his bloody jaw with her fingertips. His lips were stained with blood, and with his fingers still curled round her head, he pulled her in and pressed her lips against his.

For that moment they were still, her warm lips against his cool ones. Her palms were stretched flat against his chest, and his other arm moved up to encircle her waist. Her fingers hovered up and entwined with his that gently held her face close to his.

Victor and Russell we're still vaulting into each other behind them. Russell paused for a moment to watch the two pressed together amongst the blood and madness. Then Victor tore into his arm and the fight began again.

After a long moment, Eva drew out of the kiss slightly, and then used her tongue to trail his lips. She tasted the smallest amount of blood, when a deep rumble echoed and Eva was hurled backwards. Lucio, Victor and Russell disappeared from sight and she was alone in a cloud of smoke.

Everyone's being thrown about, she mentally blabbered, as she lay choking on the debris.

The final bomb had been deployed, quite far from Eva. If it was near to Eva she would certainly be dead by now, but she was simply thrown in the force of the explosion and shrouded in the debris. She had barely had a taste of Lucio's blood; there was no chance of vampire blood sustaining her until she was saved – not with that dosage.

I am probably going to die here, she decided. Her lovely violet dress was ripped to shreds; one of the short flowing sleeves was hanging on a few strands of stitching, and exposed part of her bra. Trying to cover herself, she found her arm was trapped under wreckage. She was physically pinned down, piles of rubble holding down one arm and part of her torso.

Wriggling seemed a little futile, and was too painful to attempt, so she just lay still and wondered what her chances of survival were.

It was a cold night, but she was so worried and flushed she was almost sweating. The cries of others wafted around the ruins of the one great building. Eva marvelled at how it had been brought down within an hour. It was a wondrously horrible feat,

The Fellowship of the Sun are full of hate, Eva thought miserably, they attack these creatures with the exact malicious intent they preach the vamps hold. Her mind began to wander in her painful loneliness. A veil of darkness and ruin hid her from the world. She suddenly regretted not making the blood bond with Lucio back in her hotel room. That was less than twelve hours ago, now there she was. He'd tasted her blood before, and she'd just about tasted his, but it was hardly a substantial amount that could form a bond. He was so young he probably couldn't sense her with the lone portion of her blood he'd consumed.

Then Eric Northman's words haunted her again –"I could hear you sobbing in a corner if I searched hard enough with my mind."

A small spark of hope ignited in her heart, and in a horse sad voice she whispered into the blackness. His age was impressive enough, and Eva sometimes got the impression she only knew half the vampires abilities. I mean, earlier he'd flown her out an elevator shaft. It never said they could fly on Wikipedia.

"Eric….Eric?"

For a few lone minutes she lay sighing on her own. The chilly night allowed her a few shivers. The few minutes felt like an eternity, they stretched out and Eva's spark of hope began to diminish.

Finally the weight from her chest vanished and despite her arm going numb, she felt a cool breeze escaping to her.

"Eric?"

"You wish," snarled a female voice. Natalie dropped into the hole in the wreckages, a determined look plastered on her small features.

"Oh thank god, someone," Eva whispered, relieved.

"Don't thank your lucky stars just yet," Natalie hissed, grabbing her free arm and yanking her out of her entrapments roughly. Eva yowled as her injuries were scratched and dragged in the dust. "Where's Victor?"

"I…I don't know…" she stammered truthfully.

"Tell me!" Natalie shrieked. She looked genuinely aggrieved at losing her lover and maker.

"I really don't know, he was fighting Russell Edgington, then there was a blast and they were lost…"

Natalie slapped her violently, but the sting of it blended amongst the rest of the agony Eva was suffering.

"WHY? Why was he fighting Russell Edgington?"

"Because he attacked Lucio," Eva murmured, her head spinning in and out of consciousness.

Natalie was quiet for a moment, long streams of blood ran down her face. If Vampires breathed, she'd be hyperventilating.

"Because Lucio is his vampire child…ward…"

"You're brother somewhat…" Eva added deliriously.

Natalie dropped her back in the dust, and standing up gave her a violent kick. She gazed of into the distance for a while, and the blood she cried shed one or two drops on Eva's cheek.

"Lucio was here, with you. Lucio came to save you right. Victor attacked Russell Edgington to save Lucio, because Lucio attacked him to save you…" she slowly explained to herself.

Eva lay in quiet denial.

"Now they could be DEAD because of you!" Natalie wailed, delivering another blow into Eva's side with her red kitten heels. "You evil bitch, because of you my Victor is likely to be dead to the world. Fangbanging whore!"

As she threw insults at Eva, she brutally dug her heel into her. Eva's yelps of pain was fading as she was losing her breath.

"Bitch." She bore her fangs and leaned close to Eva in a position that would make humans lose their balance and toppled over. "Should I end your misery?"

Yes please, Eva thought out the blue. She quickly shook the thought and made her face blank, hard and staring. Natalie's aggressive threats we're marked by the glistening red tears and show of emotion. Somehow, the emotion made it all the more terrifying. She was driven by something more than thirst, which is why she didn't simply drain Eva on the spot.

"I want you to suffer," she hissed, still bent over Eva, taking her arms and digging her claw like nails into Eva's bloody glass wounds. Eva hadn't the voice left to cry in pain, and simply gasped breathlessly, scrunching her face up as she failed to show strength any longer.

"Expecting me?" chanted a familiar voice, suddenly behind them. Eva's heart leapt and before Natalie could turn round she was smacked so sharply she hit the ground with a resounding thud.

Eric appeared close to her face, a cocky smile spread across his face. Eva was sure she recognised a glimmer of relief though.

"Oh shut up and save my life," she whispered. He smiled wider as he smelled the sweet scent of her blood. It took all of his restraint not to ravage her on the spot.

Natalie stood up, but knew better than to attack Eric. His age was unknown to her, but she was more than sure it would surpass hers impressively.

"What do you want silly vampire child?" Eric asked, bored of her before she'd addressed him.

"I want my Father back." This sounded a bit perverted to Eva but whatever.

Eric shrugged, not bothering to look at her.

"I don't know who your maker is, or who you are for that matter, but all Vampires caught in the last blast have been moved to a warehouse slightly north of here," he informed her, looking at Eva with an intense look in his eye. Eva was ignoring him and looking at Natalie. Despite the fact she'd just tried to torture her, Eva sympathised with her a bit. She was a young female vampire, with not much place in the Nevada hierarchy. Felipe and co didn't register her enough to look for her, the only one caring for her truly being Victor. Maybe Lucio would have spared her a thought if he hadn't been preoccupied.

When Natalie registered the news, she disappeared between Eva blinking. She turned back to look at Eric gratefully. He was leaned in close as Natalie was before, but not menacingly.

"You have very little hope of surviving being moved…unless…"

Eva sighed, but the pain pulsating through her body agreed with his words.

"I have a feeling a know whats coming…."

Eric bit disgustingly into his wrist, and if Eva wasn't paralysed by pain she would have winced. The blood sloshed out and as he held it to her lips it ran into her mouth almost to the consistency of wine being poured from the bottle.

It took all of Eva's strength to swallow. She felt vile drinking blood, she felt like a wild animal – and not in the exciting way. Then as she consumed a bit, then some more, she found herself drinking desperately. She found her self responding to it, the flippent phrase for the situation being - tucking in. The sense of desperation for this age old blood began to consume her. The wound in Eric's wris was healing as she lapped at it, and Eric had to eventually pull his arm away.

"You are drinking too much, for someone so hell bent on never engaging in this kind of activity, your sure getting into it."

Eva scoffed at him, looking like she'd been bathing in blood. Her own was drying on the skin of her body, and Eric's was smeared on her face like morbid tribal paint.

"You're not driven mad by the scent of mine?" She asked louder than before. The pain was already beginning to numb slightly and then diminish.

"Yes, but I can control myself for so long."

"Hmm, you've succeeded in surprising me," she teased. Eric crawled down to her side and settled next to her as if they were sat in bed, rather that a bomb site.

"I am full of surprises. Though, like I said, I can control myself for so long and so long only," he forewarned.

"Then get me out of here," Eva demanded, a hint of panic in her voice. Eric nodded, and wrapping his arms around her, he hoisted her into his arms. Dust and debris fell from her as she was shifted from her landing spot. Eric paused for a moment, and took a quiet moment to control his urges once Eva was in his arms and so close to him, and his fangs, which were fully extended a looming threateningly inches from Eva's face.

"I knew someone would save me eventually," she murmured, strengthened but still slighting delirious as Eric flew her away from the wreckage into the night.


	13. Chapter 13

"Where are we going?" Eva inquired somewhat breathlessly as she clung on to Eric Northman desperately.

"Here," he answered bluntly, descending at a rapid pace. Eva squealed and closed her eyes as her stomach turned and the wind whistled in her ears. Then a few seconds later they were on the pavement. The street was ordinary, glistening slightly from the rain earlier in the day and lit only my street lamps. Eva stood on the sidewalk, alert and awake from her little booster drink. She took in the reassuring ordinariness of the street.

Eric stood over her, smiling serenely, which was a rare sight to behold. When Eva turned and looked up into his passionate eyes her stomach took an involuntary swoop. She knew it was his blood having this sudden effect on her, and she immediately disliked it, but she couldn't deny the butterflies his presence was suddenly giving her. She experienced these feelings in his company before of course, any woman would be mad (or a lesbian) not to. Most memorably when he had her pinned against her hotel room wall. Oh. The memory made her swoon – and Eva wasn't a swooning type of girl.

"Stop that," she chided suddenly, talking more to herself.

"Stop what?" Eric inquired in a seductive voice.

"I've had your blood and now it's in my system overrunning my loyalties, you think you can seduce me with your wily ways."

"I'm not doing anything, but thanks for being honest about your feelings," he teased, "Anyway, your loyalties? I saved your life, we almost had sex, I pulled you out an elevator shaft, saved you from an emotionally hell-bent young vampire, you drank my blood and need I remind you we almost had sex. Do I not get some loyalty?"

Eva was quiet for a moment as she replayed all her memories with Eric over the past week. Then sighed, and looked at him sincerely.

"Yes, I was being harsh. You deserve some loyalty."

"Good, some day I shall have all your loyalty," he declared, grinning sexily.

"Now stop that," Eva chirped again, as his smile made her stomach swoop.

"Sorry, thought I'd actually give it a go that time. I was being serious when I said that though."

Eva ignored the last comment.

"Hey, you said Glamouring me would be cheating, this is cheating too you realise."

"Fair point."

A wind picked up, and if not for the millennium old blood coursing through her veins like liquid gold, Eva would be shivering.

"There is a hotel at the end of the street, you should stay there for the night," Eric instructed as they ambled down the road.

"Right, with what money?"

"Another fair point…"

"Yeah I'm full of them tonight, if only you listened to the one where I _didn't_ want to be hurled out a window,"

"It worked for us," Eric retorted.

"Yes well, am I blonde, toothy and stupidly tall?" Eva wasn't sure why she was so talkative, let alone so sarcastic tonight. "No, I am not a century old vampire, therefore am more fragile."

"A century is a vast understatement, and I liked you better moaning in pain in the dust," Eric hissed. Out of nowhere, Eva burst out laughing.

"This is what my life's come to!"

Eric couldn't suppress a smile then, on a blood dosage, Eva was as spirited as the first day he met her. Smiling smoulderingly, he nonchalantly reached into his pocket, drew out a substantial pile of notes, and handed it to Eva.

"Are you sure?"

"Like you can stay anywhere better than this street corner without it," he reminded her, pressing it into her palm.

Eva looked at the money, more than she earned in a week. In her life amongst just humans, she'd never been looked after since leaving home. She had friends but they wouldn't risk their lives for her the way the vamps had. In her week with the vampires, she'd been shown more consideration than ever. Some may have been simply to gain her as a pawn but she couldn't deny Lucio caring for her, or Eric finding her numerous times, or even Victor coming to her and Lucio's rescue at one of her most bleak moments. Clutching the money, she lit down on her lip.

"Don't you start crying. I do not appreciate being burdened with an emotional woman."

Eva laughed slowly, and looked him in the eye.

"Unless their emotion can lead them into your bed, ey?"

"Not if they're crying through that as well. But otherwise, yes. Are you offering?"

"No, just sussing you out in the scale of things Eric Northman."

He smiled his now familiar fang-filled smile.

"Shame, the way your dress is most revealing now is adding to your usual temptation."

"Oh," Eva huffed, remembering her dress in ripped disarray. "I'll have to wait till morning to buy some new clothes. So far garments haven't lasted very long around me…" She remembered her brand new wardrobe of clothes now in smoky ruins amidst the wreckage now south of town.

"I must leave you now, take care of yourself."

"Wait! What do I do now? Go home, wait for another vamp to find me, try and find you?"

Eric was quiet for a moment.

"I suppose your employers will collect you if they value at all. You know, there was a time you'd shy away from being collected by a vamp."

"Live and adapt ey?"

"Yes, adapt. Well, I'll see if you're here tomorrow, if not…" he was quiet some more, as if hesitating sharing information. "If you ever need me again, I run a bar by the name of 'Fangtasia' in Shreveport, Louisiana. Our number wouldn't be hard to find, neither would directions once you reached Shreveport if you we're really desperate."

"You talk like this is a goodbye."

"It is," he said bluntly, staring over her head into the dark distance.

"I'll be here tomorrow."

"Eva, if your employers come and collect you, you cannot deny them your submissions without getting into trouble."

Thinking about it, if Lucio and Victor showed up at her door, she wouldn't hesitate in following them away. Not anymore. However, the thought of not seeing Eric Northman, her many times savoir and somewhat friend was painful.

"Though…" Eric continued. "I will come tomorrow and see if you are here." With that he nodded and turned to walk away.

"You expect some sort of blood or sexual favour in gratitude for all this I suppose," she joked flippantly.

"Maybe in due time," he said, turning to wink at Eva in an ominous way that gave her a jolt. She regretted the joke, but watched him disappear into the night with a heavy heart nonetheless.


	14. Chapter 14

**Phew **** Sorry about the waits recently. I was away for a week, THEN had a week of exams. Nightmare! My exams are almost over though; I have a Japanese exam in two weeks. Scared is an understatement for that…**

**BUT TRUE BLOOD SEASON 3 IN TWO DAYS EWFHEUFHEUFHEFJ words cannot describe my excitement. I can't watch it online until Monday because I'm in the UK so I have to go through all day Monday with the true blood jitters. **

Eva woke up dazed and blinded by the sunlight pouring through the blinds. Sprawled on the bed in a partly shredded violet cocktail dress, skin scuffed and dirty, it took a while for her to recall the events of the previous night.

After Eric left, she had found the hotel, and some staff immediately realized she was a survivor of the hotel blasts. She was welcomed and ushered to a clean, warm room. Too tired to sort herself out, she'd sank straight into a deep dreamless sleep. This was good, if she did dream her head would be full of explosions, and fangs and blood.

Stretching sleepily, she dragged herself of the bed and into the bathroom. She intended to have a nice long bath but she was so coated in filth and dust, the moment she lay in the hot water it became muddy brown. Giving up on a bath, she stood up and showered off the layers of debris.

It felt good to be clean again, and she thought how she'd have to pin her dress back together and nip out for some clothes wearily. When she went back into her room however, a maid had left a plain black smock type dress folded on the bed. It was the standard maid outfit, minus an apron, but Eva was incredibly grateful. She pulled it on and felt awash with security within the tough fabric.

It was already five o'clock; she'd managed to sleep well into the afternoon.

Eva ordered room service, and as she ate her spread, she gazed out the window contemplating her fate. If Eric showed up at her door, what would she do? It would be good to see him but she couldn't leave with him. She couldn't just jump to his ranks and forget the other side. If Lucio showed up at her door, she'd run away with him without hesitation. You're romanticising this Eva, she told herself. There was a large chance Lucio was dead, a chance she'd been in denial off. Last she saw of Lucio, he was disappearing into the smoke. Eric might have other business to attend to. In short, no one may knock on her hotel door tonight.

Lucio probably wouldn't even know where to look for her. Eric's hardly going to find him to inform him where he dropped her. In fact, Eric and Lucio barely acknowledged one another. Things we're looking a little bleak all of a sudden and Eva put down her cup of tea and bit down hard on her lip.

There was a radio in the corner of the room, and Eva padded across miserably to turn it on. She needed to fill the silence, she needed some noise, and she craved a voice that wasn't threatening or seducing her.

Sinking into the mattress of her bed, she closed her eyes and revelled in the deep voice that echoed from the radio speakers. Eva had always loved old music, and as Elvis Presley's voice filled the room she felt a bit more like her old self. She remembered her old apartment, singing Elvis, and Queen, and Michael Jackson, and Kate Bush, and all the greats as she cooked low budget food in her tiny kitchen. Or had a shower. Or moped over her love life, indulging in milk trays and glasses of wine. Having select friends over now and again.

Eva had always been a bit of a loner. She was happy in her own company, happy in her own mind. There was a way she differed from the humans around her. She didn't crave companionship like they did, the thought of going home to an empty house was delightful rather than depressing to her.

As Elvis sang about his way, Eva remembered all the mediocre moments of her old life, and how she wouldn't mind revisiting them in all their avarageness now.

She didn't cry then. She'd cried more than usual in the past couple of days, but right then she made a resolution to be positive that night. She dreamt of being swept away to new experiences by Lucio, for once she allowed herself to imagine herself a vampire's lover. But Eric clouded her thoughts as well. It may be the blood, but she couldn't help but mentally betray her loyalties for a quick moment as she imagined him sauntering through the door frame.

Fangs? They no longer made her shudder. She'd endured so much pain and injury in the past twenty-four hours, the thought of fangs on her flesh didn't scare her. In fact, she wasn't actually sure if it was the blood talking now, but deep down it was quite thrilling. She bit down on her lip again, but this time she was suppressing the thoughts of Lucio on her neck.

Lucio. Was he alive?

When…if….she saw them again, she wouldn't waste anymore time.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Eva froze.

Cher came on the radio. Eva always loved this song. Love after love? She'd never been in love before to judge whether love after love existed. Of course, could she recognize it in the first place?

She slid of the bed and taking a deep breath, and strode to the door.

If Eva could turn back time would she have done anything differently? What could she have done differently without knowledge of the outcomes?

She gripped the handle of the door and began to get butterflies. She had no idea what would happen to her from now on. Life with the vampires of Nevada, vampires of Louisiana, other vampires? Would they forget about her, could she return to her run of the mill life? Could she _face_ returning to that life?

She turned the handle and swung the door open before she could question herself anymore.

She jumped a little, dazed and confused, as the vampire behind the door gave her a toothy smile and took a step towards her.


	15. Chapter 15

"Get out."

Russell Edgington laughed and took another step towards her. It was one of those moments Eva felt surreally detached from her feelings. She was flooded with confusion of why this man continued to pursue her, and that overcome any initial fear one would expect her to feel. Or maybe she'd just been in so many close scrapes and bad situations she was numbed from fear.

"Why are you here?"

"They say the one that gets away is the one that you never forget. I can't be bothered with thoughts of the blood left in your system after my little taster."

"Freak," Eva hissed randomly, taking another few nervous steps back. Emotion was starting to take hold now.

Russell Edgington froze, and Eva immediately knew he didn't take kindly to silly insults. His eyes narrowed and the smile got all the more malicious. The radio was a white noise in the background of Eva's fear now. She was sick to her stomach as she realised how her chances of survival were getting slimmer and slimmer each time.

"Go on, bite me," she snapped, her mouth detached from her brain. In a brash moment of madness she took a step towards him. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage and her breathing was growing shallow. Eva's palms were sweaty and shaky, but some strange strength came over her, and she stood proudly. She refused to cower or whimper. She would not beg this toying evil creature for mercy.

If I'm meant to live, I'll live, she told herself. Whatever happened to her, she had come to realise that her whole life had revolved around the moment she met her first vampire. Her life was unexciting and lonely up to now, a loneliness she'd never thought of as sad. Her solitude was always leading up to the big presence in her life the people she'd met recently would hold.

Whatever kind of life she obtained, it would be her life. She wouldn't kneel to these bastards.

"You are stupid," The King of Mississippi suddenly laughed. "But your gambling with your life makes you all the more delicious, and I rarely find women delicious."

"I'm flattered."

It all happened in a split second, which passed like the blink of an eye yet looking back, Eva could break it down moment for moment. Russell Edgington took a determined step forward and Eva refused to let herself take a nervous tentative step back, she refused to look weak. Maybe angered by this refusal to even waver at his threat, Russell snapped, and lurched forward. Eva threw herself away from him, landing against the chest of drawers.

As the King landed on her, she somehow found time in his superhuman speed of attack to grip the large ceramic lamp behind him, and bring it down crashing on his skull. It smashed into a million pieces, and the King howled with rage.

Despite her strong-willed attack, Eva was completely in his grip, and he viciously threw her across the room. Eva knocked the bedpost on her flight, and came crashing down on the large downy bed. Her knee ached incredibly where she'd hit the wooden post, and she gritted her teeth remembering what she'd survived before. Though pain endured does little to numb the pain a person feels.

Though she did become numb in one sense. She became numb to her situation and surrounding. The emotional turmoil took her to a different place maybe, but she hardly registered who it was when Russell appeared above her and sank his teeth into her chest.

She didn't hear herself scream, she heard a different otherworldly Eva scream. The detached voice cried in pain, and the blood of the detached person stained the cream bed sheets.

"Kill me," the voice grunted somewhere between wails.

"Gladly."

The torture continued, and with her conscious slipping in and out, Eva's screams subsided slightly. She lost the strength to vocalise her anguish, and just let out waves of gasps as her blood left her system.

A cold crept upon her, and her fingers that had been clawing at the King went limp. Her arms fell to her side, and the only warmth she felt was from the burning pain in her wounds and the hot tears rolling down her face.

The room was dim and dark to her, and suddenly a glimmer of light burst in through the door Russell had kicked shut behind him. Eric's skin seemed to glow in an ironically saintly way, but his face was demonic. Rage blazed across his expressions as he dove across the room. The king turned to defend himself, but Eric was way faster than he anticipated.

Eric threw him mercilessly against the wall and pounced on him like a cat. Eva opened her mouth weakly to try and say his name, but her body wouldn't permit her speech. It decided then not to permit her consciousness, and her world faded to a muddy darkness once more as Eric brought his fangs down on Russell Edgington's throat.

In her muddled mind, her last memorable thoughts were that she didn't wish death upon the King of Mississippi. Why? He'd been a brutal monster for reasons that escaped Eva, but she didn't want to become a heartless monster that took death lightly. She didn't want to forget her value for life. She was human after all.

Wasn't she?

Why did she attract this mix of evil and caring and curiosity in these creatures? She never envisioned this, never asked for this. She never knowledgably wanted this, did she?

Her humanity had been slipping from her as the days went by, and now she wanted to hold onto it. She didn't want to wish death or horror on anyone, vampire or human or whatever this wide world held for us. It was a wish stronger than anything she'd ever hoped for, and still she saw a brutal future ahead of her.

What future could she hold now though? She was undoubtedly dying.

In her heart she held a future; she knew it, like she knew the sun rose each morning.

What future does death hold?


	16. Chapter 16

**I was originally going to split this into a three part story, like in a trilogy. Well I tell a lie, I hadn't a clue what was going to happen after chapter one when I initially wrote it, then once I got to chapter three I had a large plotline figured.**

**Anyway anyway, I decided to keep it in one story but still in three parts, so here I present the next part in my Eva's life.**

**The afterlife and love of Eva Hunter**

**Part II**

Eva Hunter pressed her palm against the cold tile walls of the blank white bathroom she was in. They didn't feel cold to her, but she knew they were. She knew this because about twenty six hours earlier she'd shrieked in pain as Eric had gently set her down in the room, and she clawed at these same tiles, as if her anguished world would literally crumble away and she'd wake in her old bed.

She had wanted to scream Erics name, she wanted to scream and demand to know what he was doing. He had pressed his bloody flesh against her bloody mouth, and in a rare moment of pity, stroked her hair in a loving way.

Eva was remembering all this like one recalls a dream. It seemed like something she'd witnessed and yet she could still remember the pain that had seared through her body.

She was clearly denying the obvious.

Eric re-entered the room, having changed his clothes in typical vain Eric style. Eva turned to meet his curious eyes, her own desperate and pleading. She felt vulnerable, shaken.

"I'm sorry about the setting," he said quite business-like, "I was thinking about the mess you see. Ceramic cleans easy."

Eva was quiet for a bit longer, she could hardly drink in the situation, never mind the surroundings. Eric looked positively bored, and amongst other emotions overwhelming her, she wanted to slap him for his insensitivity.

"You look nice, despite the mess. Pam will have fun dressing you up I imagine."

Eva ignored him further, she felt numb.

If she were human, she'd feel dizzy.

"What have you done to me?" she growled suddenly. Eric looked somewhat engaged now.

"I saved your life."

"You've killed me…"

"Don't be so melodramatic," he chided, leaning against the door frame.

A snarl grew in Eva's throat, and surprising herself, she leapt at Eric – fang's extended.

Erics own appeared, and with a mocking laugh, he grabbed her as she was inches from him. A playful push from him sent her reeling back, and she was immediately ready to pounce again, then composed herself.

"You _are_ going to be fun."

"Die," hissed Eva.

Eric contemplated the many death jokes then decided it was just too easy. Instead, with a sly grin he shrugged and leaned against the wall.

Eva screamed at the wall, and ran to kick it, but Eric grabbed her by the arms and held her back.

"In this state, you kicking my wall would mean me replastering my wall."

Eva squirmed against his clutches, wriggling like a possessed child. This was too much, way too much. She didn't want this.

Eric turned her so she faced the large fitted mirror, and leaned down to purr in her ear.

"Take a good look."

What Eva saw was a young pale girl, with red tinted demonic eyes, wild matted hair straggling down past her shoulder. Her dress was ravaged in places, and from head to toe she was smeared with dark red blood. Most noticeably amongst the monster she saw in the mirror was the long sharp vicious fangs hanging in a doglike way. They gleamed in the white light of the bathroom.

"You are vampire."


	17. Chapter 17

**Has anyone watched the first episode of the new series yet? It's BRILLIANT. Oh good god words cannot describe how happy the new series made me LOL. I'm swaying back to Bill now in all his handsome charm. Though one sexy scene with Eric and I'll be ricocheting back to team Eric so fast. I'm so damn fickle at times ;)**

"Oh honey, you're too much fun," Pam teased sarcastically, sweeping Eva's hair out of her face. Eva hadn't spoken in several hours now, and her expression remained blank as Pam hovered over her.

"Give her some space and a bath while you're at it," Eric muttered, flicking through papers at the desk of his office.

Eva sat more still than she'd ever sat on the leather sofa. Her hands were on her lap; her palms face down on her legs. As Pam's lips curled into a smile at Eric's words, Eva shied away from her.

"I'm worried for Louisiana now," Pam chatted to Eric, sitting next to Eva and curling her fingers in her blood soaked hair. It was a great feat not to suck it off herself, and it was lucky the bar wasn't open or there would be vamps smelling the amount of blood and banging on the door.

Pam's urges were nothing compared to Eva's though. Her throat burned with intense desire and Eva was resisting biting into her own flesh. She refused to let it show on her face though, and Eric refused to help her if she refused to respond to him. It was a stubborn vicious cycle.

"I'm worried for Louisiana too; we're vulnerable now Sophie-Anne is wounded…"

"Russell Edgington wouldn't mind our state to add to his growing collection now he's a married team, think he'll strike first?"

Eva would have shuddered at the name if she had the human body that allowed shudders. Eric looked to her warily as Pam mentioned him, as if expecting Eva to lash out. Eva just dug her fingers into her legs. She was frustrated by the fact this didn't hurt her.

"That may be," Eric finally sighed.

If I see Russell Edgington ever again I'll rip him limb from limb, Eva mentally promised herself. Eric saw that on her face, he almost foresaw the danger Eva could run into.

Eva was now tied to him as his child. After he'd gone to see her before returning home, he'd found her in that state.

She had been well beyond repair, so when he gave her his blood it had a different effect on her. He soon recognised she was turning, and this didn't trouble him. If anything, he was excited. He had held her in his arms as she whimpered and took his blood. He had flown her home to spend the night in his bathroom as she turned. It was lucky he was old enough to fly fast enough, never the less holding Eva all the way.

Looking at his new vampire child, he was curious to see how this would affect things. Other things though, state matters, life matters, etc. In no way was Sookie allowed to find out about this, nor Eva about Sookie. How would he explain to his blood bond he now had another child? It could be argued Eva was an accidental child. A vampire with an accident child, there was something he never thought he'd live to hear, never mind be part of.

Smiling at that thought, he got up to go out into his bar.

"Get her cleaned up before we open, or we'll have a riot on our hands."

Pam nodded, and turned back to Eva who was staring at the wall wordlessly.

"When I was turned I was too excited for words."

"I'm not excited," Eva hissed.

"She has a voice!" Pam mock cheered. Eva hadn't a clue who this woman was; she'd appeared next to her after Eric had sat her down in his office. "I hope you are fun, we need some new excitement around here."

"You were in a bomb attack and now ready to defend your state against a takeover, that sounds like your kind of fun," Eva said nonchalantly. Pam laughed and looked at Eva as subtly joyful as a vamp can look.

"You _are_ going to be fun."

"A riot…"

Pam stood up and glanced at her watch.

"Hmm, I'll have to do my best in our limits for tonight. Come on, do you want to be eaten alive."

Pam ushered her down the hall of the backrooms of the bar. Eva saw the curious bartender poking his head round to look at Eva, he wondered who the blood soaked new comer was and where she fit into the order of things.

It took a lot of protesting from Eva to keep mischievous Pam out of the shower with her. Pam finally laughed absent mindedly and swayed out the room, amused at her methods to make Eva talk.

Eva washed of the blood surprisingly casually, and as she was finishing her shower she began to realise how different it was to a human shower. She hadn't noticed the way the hot water didn't make her skin jump and shiver when it first hit her. Maybe because she was mentally detaching herself from her situation it was even more different, but it was unmistakable how the water felt strange on her skin. The other worry was how little she reacted to blood.

Then it dawned on her.

Her whole life now revolved around blood.

Her whole life, especially for the next few years, would revolve around the hunt and pursuit of blood. She could break a man's skin with her own teeth and drink his liquids without fuss. It was such a huge casual part of her life now, and that riled Eva.

She became aware of the burning in her throat; it began to become the main focus of her attention. All urges and emotions and feelings diminished at the desire that ached through her for some of blood that once disgusted her.

Was she already losing herself to vampiric qualities?

The question and thought surfaced for only a moment, then lost to the craving she was feeling.

Pam banged o the door and Eva realised she was still stood under the shower glaring at the white and cream bathroom. It had been cleaned fast since her bloody screaming ordeal in it. It was gleaming and the towels had already been replaced. Stepping out of the shower she stood in the spot where she had writhed and screamed throughout the night until she had collapsed exhaustedly into Eric's arms and shifted into another life.

The blood had been efficiently mopped up.

The bathroom was luxurious and posh for a bar, and the white and cream décor contrasted incredibly to the red and black throughout the bar. In fact, there was even a large pink vase and inside a bouquet of red and white roses. Eva hadn't known her more than a few hours, but she suspected colourful Pam had got her way with this bathroom. The large square bath on the far end of the room she suspected was probably Eric's input.

Pam banged on the door again and Eva heard the impatience. She had grabbed the large cream monogrammed towel just in time before Pam burst in and threw clothes at Eva, who caught them deftly.

"Can I dress you every night? It's so much fun picking out clothes for a young girl like you…"

Eva scowled and feared the worse. She had to usher Pam out again while she got dressed, and found Pam's taste in clothes hardly conservative.

In her hands was a red dress, much like one she would have been expected to wear at the Vampire Summit, except much shorter and tighter. It sufficed for now though.

Looking in the mirror as her hair dried naturally and quickly in the cold air, she saw a different girl to the monster she saw before.

Her hair was glossy and rippling down past her shoulders beautifully, framing her now radiant face. Even Eva couldn't deny to herself she was breathtaking. She tried to shoo the thought from her mind, she wasn't an egotistical creature, but she couldn't help notice the effects of her transformation. No more blemishes, scars, bags under her eyes. She was marble skinned and glowing, and her eyes appeared wider somehow, her jaw more defined in the light on her perfect skin.

Her eyes were mesmerizing to her vampire vision. The twinges of red were still subtly there, mixed within her natural hazel. The green was now distinguishable against the brown and in a beautiful mash of colours. Her new eyes allowed her to see the shards of red, brown and green that surrounded her pupil in an enchanting composition.

It was a beautiful alternative to the blood soaked wild child from before and Eva wondered if this was the two sides to a vampire. The beautiful face and the inner monster. The one that lured you away and the one that with ravenous eyes and gleaming fangs pierced your skin without mercy.

Eva let her jaw drop slightly, and curled her lip back a bit. She was unsure how to do this, but she began by putting some mental command in her mind. No luck. She envisioned what she wanted to appear. Still none. She thought of Eric, his tall body leaning over her. Or Lucio, his warm touch that once sent shivers up her arm. Or Russell Edgington, what she'd do if she ever saw him.

Looking back in the reflective glass, there they now were. Amongst the false sickly smile that she could now hold so easily, were the evidence of her inner monster.


	18. Chapter 18

**Season 3 anyone? I seem to be the only one watching it. It's AMAZING but last night was one of the most disturbing sex scenes I've seen in my life. Still amazing episode though…**

Eva refused to bite a man's flesh. She refused to consume the blood of even the most willing, and there we're plenty willing when they saw her pretty face new on the bar scene. She somehow, through the urges, refused to yield to her monstrous side.

Eric was intrigued by this, for a new vampire to resist the willing vein of a human was a rare sight. Eva sipped her synthetic blood, and refused to rise to Pam's teasing, or Eric's questioning, or the attention of those who noticed her presence in the bar. Eva held self-will more powerful that Eric had ever seen in a young vampire.

It didn't mean Eva was temped, it didn't mean she didn't yearn and ache for the blood of a human. There were times she almost cracked. During her second night at Fangtasia, she was sat in the bar. The previous night Eric had made her stay away from the bar, He'd made Pam play nurse maid and sit with Eva, discuss the new life she now held. Second night however, when Eva had been talked through the basics of vampire-hood, he let Pam dress her up and set her loose.

Eva was not unnerved, and strode into the bar with ease and confidence, if not even disdain. Regulars noticed her new face quickly enough and by the early hours of the morning most of the nervous humans had tried to talk to her. Pam hung around Eva, warding off giggling girls with questions and me n with expectations. Pam liked Eva in her own Pam way. She saw her as a dress up doll initially, but saw parts of herself in Eva. She recognised a spirit in Eva, an unshakable pride that was admirable. She was also curious as to Eva's back story, and hoped somewhere along the line in their almost friendship, dysfunctional sisterhood, Eva would tell her. When Eric walked in with the writhing, bleeding, crying girl and refused to explain how matters got out of hand, her curiosity and annoyance and not being included in events was strong.

However, Pam had her own needs to satisfy, and as a rare quiet lull drew over the bar she took her chances to slip off. Eva, turning around and finding the only female figure that had stood over since the previous night and transformation missing, she naturally wandered. It was as she ventured to the far end of a bar she caught sight of a vibrant brunette boy, who looked suspiciously young. The excitement was rolling of him in waves and Eva found this endearing. This immediately fanned the flames of desire that singed her throat.

Staggering to the bar, she knocked back half a True Blood. It did nothing to meet her urges even halfway, and she ached from her tongue to her groin as she could smell the young boy's sweet delicious scent.

When she got up off the bar and dragged herself away she noticed the indents her fingers had carved into the wood in her frustration. She made a quick mental note to not tell Eric, and stamped her way back to the backroom. It took a long time for her to regain her strength and when she went back out, her fangs had finally retracted and the boy had left.

However, he reappeared several nights later and Eva had come in late. She'd been arguing with Eric and had gone off for a run. When she reappeared at the bar, Pam scowled at her as she wandered in looking slightly disarray and under dressed.

Eva ignored her and wandered behind the bar for True Blood. Dennis, the bartender for the night and a young flawlessly handsome Aryan looking boy, also scowled at her. His blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and slight hint of a German accent made some suspicious of him, but most just fawned over him.

"Eva stop it, unless you want to bartend for a couple of hours, stop coming back here," he chided exasperated. Eva ignored him and leaned against the smooth dark wood as she popped the cap of the bottle.

"I'm the boss's daughter, I can do what I bloody well like," she snapped uncharacteristically. Eva had become moody tonight, but her mood had been swinging back and forth for days. The other day she cried for about an hour. She later overheard Pam asking if she was pregnant when she was turned and the hormones were intensifying. Eric shrugged and carried on flicking through papers. Pam, frustrated at no more hints to Eva's story, marched out; her buttercup yellow heels clacking against the floor in rhythmic annoyance.

It was there, behind the bar, she saw the young boy again. His dark hair looked wavier tonight, as if it had been raining earlier. He was with some different lads tonight and he was laughing care freely. He must have felt Eva's gaze because he suddenly turned and met her eye. Eva's core control weakened while her frustrated grip on the bottle tightened. The bottle smashed and deeply red liquid oozed and sloshed out over hand and splattered on the floor.

"That's it!" Dennis snarled, ushering Eva out.

Eric was watching with interest from his pedestal area. He observed Eva ignore Dennis's angry snarls and run back to the bathroom. In the bathroom, Eva licked the blood of her fingers and ran the tips over her lusting fangs. They were warmer than normal; they heated as the throbbing in her throat grew. If she were human, her pulse would be racing.

Leaning against the cold wall, she thought of distracting thing. She tried to envision the act as gruesome but as she saw the blood in her mind she arched her back and bared her fangs at the wall. It was lust and hunger rolled into a great over bearing urge.

With the worst possible timing, the young tempter himself knocked on the bathroom door, and rudely enough walked in without waiting for a reply.

"I saw you looking at me," he said plain and simply.

"I look at many people throughout my day, don't flatter yourself," she snarled, clenching her fists. The boy only smiled and stepped forward and suddenly in a flash of rage Eva understood her mistake of taking his calmness for innocence and naivety. The boy was cocky, over confident and incredibly stupid, and as Eva's fangs bared at him he still took an brave step forward.

"Do you have a death wish? Get out." She could hear the blood pump in his veins, his pulse on stereo in her mind.

"You are really quite pretty," he said calmly.

Eva snapped.

"Is your common sense steered by your sex drive and stupidity?" she growled, before hurling him against the wall in anger. His head bounced of the tiles and thick, warm blood trickled down his face.

Eva howled in frustration. The lust, the thirst, the need, it was all way to strong. The boy looked up at her almost pleadingly, but Eva had straddled him before he could cry for help.

The boy whimpered, his situation dawning on him as Eva drank the blood of his face in one long lick and ripped the boys shirt off. He had felt her fangs graze his cheek, it was the first time he'd felt fangs.

Humanity, Humanity, Humanity, she chanted mentally. Her throat blazed so much, and her fangs longed to feel flesh and blood.

The bathroom door flew off its hinges, as Eva bit down on her own arm.

Eric stared at her silently, his own fangs apparent, ready to rip Eva of whoever she had broken down for, as he had promised her he would the first day she arrived.

Eva's morals were way to strong though, and she had torn her own flesh. She had hoped the pain would distract her from the thirst, but the pain had barely afflicted her and the wound was already healing.

"Eric…?" She cried through her fangs. Eric lifted her off the boy and dragged the boy to his feet, ushering him out the bathroom with a snarl in one swift movement. Eva gripped his arm and buried her face in his torso. Eric held her still against the wall in a grip like an iron vice until her fangs finally disappeared and her rage had subsided.

That was Eva's first brush with feeding, and later on in her vampire life, she felt more pride for that moment that her whole human life.

Later that evening however, she felt horrible. She was grateful to Eric for upholding his promise, and somewhat pleased she resisted at the last moment, but the horror of what she almost did was seared into her memory.

"You're overreacting honey, we're vampires, it's in our nature," Pam had told her nonchalantly as she watch Eva change clothes a little too enthusiastically. Eva scowled at her, and yanked her shirt over her head.

"Well it won't be in my nature, the nature of Eva," she retorted, running her fingers through her hair.

Pam shrugged and smiled, "Well, now you're just about the strangest vampire I've encountered then, but you may change."

"I _won't_," Eva declared, before marching out the room with her head held high.

Eva _was_ breaking down though; she was breaking down day by day. Morose thoughts afflicted her just as much as her thirst did. She wondered every waking minute where Lucio was, if he was alive, how her employer vampires were faring. She lay awake during the day worrying, she wondered why Lucio didn't come to her.

One day, late in the day – it was almost twilight, she suddenly was struck by a horrible a thought. She wondered how far Eric's involvement had affected the Nevada vampires – was Lucio not allowed to approach her, was she under Eric's thumb now…had Lucio rejected her because Eric was her maker? Then she realised something else, if Lucio was alive, the most likely situation was clear. Lucio thought Eva was dead.


	19. Chapter 19

**I'm in London again next week, but I promise I have some good'uns before I leave :D Speaking of leaving…**

Eva wasn't unsure or hesitant of leaving. The minute she woke she was well aware of what she needed to do, and leaving Eric her maker, her protector, wasn't an obstacle.

In all honesty, she hated Eric for what he'd done to her.

She'd hated the man from the moment she'd woken into her new life, but she had to appreciate the fact he saved her life. However, she decided she wouldn't mind death that much.

Eva wasn't a scared girl, she wasn't easily rattled and she'd never thought about death. She'd never really not done anything for fear of what could happen, fear wasn't a valid excuse to her. Though, where had that attitude got her?

She was trying to ignore the fact that when she passed a mirror, she hated the sight of her beautiful face. Or when she noticed something felt different on her skin, she wanted to cry. And when her fangs appeared and she panted over her desire to _drink a person's blood_, she wanted to kick a wall in. She could as well, very easily, but Eric was keeping a close eye on the girl.

Not close enough apparently, for the night Eva left, she disappeared into the night like smoke and it was a while before Eric noticed she was gone.

Their relationship had changed drastically since the transformation two weeks ago. They we're much different people with each other and unlike other makers and young vampires, Eva and Eric immediately took on a Father, Daughter situation. No, not quite. Eric wasn't father material, but he kept a fair restraint on Eva and was a good mentor to her. Pam could be a distraction, and at other times a big help to Eva. She would tease and harass Eva, mostly out of curiosity, but she made a consciences effort to help Eva along.

Though both were unsure how to take Eva at times, she was unlike other young vampires they'd met. Sometimes they reminded her a little of Bill Compton, in the way she grasped onto her value for human life. Though her will was much stronger.

Eric had tried to test his relationship with Eva; he'd cornered her in his office once or twice with his crooked smile, bending over her. She never responded to his advances, and Eric remembered how resilient she was in her human life. Had she brought her determination to her after life?

Remembering how close he once got, Eric cursed himself. He was frustrated he hadn't had sex with the girl yet, now she was his vampire creation and she still didn't yield to him.

When Eva left he knew exactly where she'd run off too. In her human life she swayed towards the other vampire more, and it was proving the same in her new life. He could have called her back as her master, he could have caught her up and brought her back before she reached the boy, but he saw his opportunity in the future. He swore he'd have Eva someday. He wouldn't need to use his control or influence; he could see her crying into his arms. Her vampire employers, whoever they were, surely wouldn't accept her back now she'd been changed by a vampire from a different state. She would be tainted; they'd be suspicious of her. They'd surely see her as young and wild and at the will still of her maker from a rival state. She'd run back to him, crying and vulnerable.

To Eric's great surprise, the thought of her so distraught angered him.

Running through the darkness with the great determination she always had, Eva thought of Eric. Did she really hate him? Did she hate him or did she hate herself now and was referring the hatred? She'd left without a thought for him, but now she _had_ left, he was playing on her mind. He was her maker after all, her savoir many times over, the man she'd almost tumbled into bed with as well. He'd been there for her, she couldn't deny it. He was an indifferent, sex driven, egotistical, selfish creature, but something in him seemed almost thoughtful to Eva. He had motives for everything he did, but surely not all his motives we're bad were they?

Eva wondered if she'd see Eric again soon.

As if the future were whispering to her, she knew she would.


	20. Chapter 20

It took Eva four nights to find her way to Nevada. She was expecting some sort of supernatural tug back to Eric all the while, she wasn't sure how it worked. But she neither heard nor saw Eric, mentally and in reality. Had he granted her freedom or did he simply not care?

Eva initially figured the king would be residing in Carson City, or Las Vegas, then later wondered (halfway to the capital city) whether they'd be lying low. She suddenly realised she was drifting around the state like a leaf in the wind with no clue where to look for a vampire who is quite likely to be dead.

This didn't stop the girl who's will was astonishing to the even the oldest of vampires.

She realised if the King and his entourage was in hiding after the attacks, there was little chance of her discovering them. She had firstly headed to the capital city, but in all the vampire bars and dens she could stumble across she gathered the king was no longer in the city. She headed to Las Vegas after that, and did the same rounds. She gathered the King had a den there as well, but he wasn't there at the moment. She considered waiting, but it could be months before they came back, even years.

It felt like a wild goose chase for a long time, until the night Eva reached Reno.

She had found her way to the local vampire bar, and standing at the entrance and looking at the neon red and black signs, she felt sure all vamp clubs sported the same décor. The female vampire on the door even somewhat reminded her off Pam, lacking the charisma her former mentor had of course. The woman was clad in a latex outfit that reminded her of Pam though.

She shot Eva a seductive smile as Eva sauntered through the door. Eva was starting to understand the necessaries of having the attitude and airy disposition in the vampire world. In the few weeks, almost a month now, she'd wandered around Nevada; she'd acquired a much more confident attitude. When she walked into a room she was no longer the brave but slightly nervous girl who could be shocked easily. She was the breezy woman with the smouldering smile. She still upheld her approachable sweetness of a southern bell, yet she had the darker edge that was apparent in every smile and every word. Eva hadn't noticed this change in her demeanour, this rapid growth in her maturity, but she wore it well.

Inside the bar was also the same types of people one would expect at Fangtasia, and after weeks of circulating places like this in search of hide or hair of the King or any of his employees, Eva walked through full of nerve.

Eva was still abstaining from feeding of humans, and it was still hard as ever. Her personal promise to herself was stronger than any physical urge though. There were still cracks and close shaves though, like in her first week.

It was crowded, and the bar teemed with fangbangers and silly curious youth. They gazed at Eva longingly as she wandered to the far end of the bar, so she could avoid as much attention as possible. She smoothed her purple skirt down calmly as she perched on the stool and smiled at the bartender, who looked something close to interested to see new vampire face in the bar.

"A negative," Eva requested before he could bother asking. Nodding with a grin the bartender reached into a fridge underneath the bar, and extracted the large red bottle, and deftly popping the cap off.

The bartender was a vaguely handsome man, though he was scarred; presumably in his past life. He had rough skin, that must have been even worse before his vamp genes smoothed out what they could, and sandy hair that was tousled and messy but attractive. His hard jaw line made him less attractive though, it gave him a harsh edge. His luring smile did more in the way of looking creepy than softening to rough look to him.

"New?" he purred with all the seductiveness of a cat. It took Eva by surprise; the voice almost didn't match the face. It made her all the more wary.

"Yes actually, I arrived in Reno earlier tonight," she told him amicably, and then added, "Nice bar."

"You don't need to be polite," the bartender joked, handing her her drink. Eva smiled, taking a long much appreciated sip. "Where are you from?"

Eva considered this for a moment. This was a complicated question. She was born in Michigan, and then she was born again in Louisiana. Moreover, should she be talking too easily to strangers about herself? She was just about living day to day in the vampire world; did she want to stir up more trouble for herself by making herself known in another state? She was unsure about their laws, but decided she couldn't be bothered keeping up with webs of lies.

"Louisiana," she said quietly. She wasn't choosing her vampire birth over her human one; she just didn't want to bring up the bombings in Michigan.

The gruff bartender nodded with his sly smile, and Eva looked at her drink. Whenever she held True Blood, she reminded the liquid gushing over her fingers as she smashed the bottle as her desire began to better her. The haunting memory was a blessing in disguise; it reminded her how liberating it was abstain. Every time she held True Blood, she remembered how wonderfully she was upholding her promise; she was conquering her very own nature.

"The Louisiana Queens in a bad way right now, is that right?" the bartender asked randomly, shaking Eva away from her delicious pride.

Eva shrugged instantly; she didn't even know the queen of Louisiana's name. The bartender nodded, but looked suspicious and Eva sighed, setting her drink down.

"Honestly, I'm not big on politics, and I know nothing about Louisiana's queen, sorry."

"It's okay; it's just widely known she's pretty damn vulnerable right now, being all down and out and everything."

Eric and Pam's conversation the night Eva awoke flashed back to her, they referred to being vulnerable to takeover now. That was all Eva had heard on the matter, and assuming the queen was in a bad way due to the bombings, Eva just nodded and took another sip. Again, she didn't want to bring up the bombings.

Sipping the artificial life force, and looking at the solid dark wood of the bar she tuned into the conversations of those around her. Like she'd done almost every night, she combed the voices for mention of a familiar name. It was there, amongst the inane chatter and sex talk; she heard the faint yet definable muffled moans of a human girl. A human girl resisting, a human girl who was struggling against whatever was happening to her.

"Excuse me," Eva announced bluntly, placing her drink down and slipping back into the bathroom.

The cries were unmistakable cries of pain, and Eva was sure no expert on vampire laws, but she did know it was illegal to feed in an establishment such as that, as was it illegal to feed on a human against their will.

Slinking through the corridors the restrained wails grew louder, and Eva's ears picked them up easily. She wondered why no one else had come to address the matter; surely she wasn't the only vampire in here that could hear the happenings.

There was two ways Eva could address this. Number one, she could burst in there like Jackie Chan and go ape crazy, take them by surprise. Number two; she could go tell someone of a higher authority. Either way, she would not tolerate the forced submission on the innocent girl. After a brief moment of careful consideration she decided that she was a vampire god dammit, and should learn to use it to her advantage.

She did not factor in the other vamps considerable age and the fact that blood, blood she so thoroughly crazed, was spilt.

Brushing her hair back, she poised herself, then in one quick pounce, she burst through the bathroom door and kicked open the stall. Her speed for an inexperienced vamp was impressive, but she'd spent a lot of time simply running around Nevada, she'd had a chance to stretch her legs. Her speed was her advantage and with a grunt she grabbed the tall well built vampire and flung him to the far end of the bathroom. He cracked the wall on impact, and luckily he was only a year or so on Eva and was dazed for a brief moment while Eva embraced the crying young blonde girl.

This was her downfall, as the girl threw herself forward with great faith she was safe now, Eva inhaled the scent of her smeared sweet blood. It made her stagger against the wall.

The somewhat young wild vampire gathered the situation, and in an enraged snarl he hurled himself at Eva. Eva was still quick, but with the girl's blood imprinted on her arms, she was less focused. She could have kicked him back easily, but instead as he leapt she only had the sense left to grab at his throat to hold her back. Eva's fangs were curled over her front teeth and her eyes were dark with blood lust.

The male vampire laughed a throaty laugh as Eva attempted to hold him away. With his free hand (his other holding Eva by the throat also) he snatched at her arm and pulled it close to his face, licking the girls blood in a grotesque mocking lick.

Eva screamed with disgust, and again taking the vampire whose great mistake was underestimating her by surprise, slapped him so hard he reeled backwards. In a heeled foot, she jumped backwards and swiftly kicked off from the cistern to hurl herself over him and out the stall. The bloodied girl was huddling in the corner of the bathroom, and Eva wished she'd go do something, get help, anything away from her.

The utterly crazed vampire now, leapt up and grabbed Eva's ankle, slamming her down onto the open bathroom floor. As he leapt to pounce in an animalistic way, another force flung him clean through the stall wall.

Eva could help, despite the dramatic situation, to let out a giggle at the sight of the great large man being flung around like a baseball. The girl finally took this as her cue to scurry from the bathroom, muttering sincere thank yous and clutching her bleeding neck. Silly as she was, she knew if she stuck around any longer she'd be dinner for all.

Eva, wondering what higher power was looking over her this time, stood and smoothed out her dress, smiling at the dark haired suave man nodding to her from the bathroom door.

"You are young," he snarled through a curled lip, and for a moment Eva thought he was talking to her, "and I'm sure despite your stupidity you can recognize the years I have on you, and of course do the maths of vampires in the room against you. Be smart."

"Down dog," Eva giggled, looking at the crouching offending vampire. He looked completely defiant for a moment, the grunted and nodded, admitting defeat.

The young handsome vampire extended a hand to Eva, and taking it graciously, she stepped over the cracks of stall wall plastic and out the room after him. Her luck seemed to have followed her to her afterlife.

"They seem as ignorant as pigs in this bar," he cooed in a sophisticated voice, linking Eva's arm and walking her down the corridor and out into the bar again. The vicious glares didn't bother Eva; she didn't care about these people. She let him sit her at a table and order two True Bloods.

"He says you didn't pay for your first drink," the too skinny waitress informed them, nodding to the indifferent bartender.

"Is this enough," the vampire across the table asked needlessly, thrusting way too much money for the drinks in the waitress's hand, and touching Eva's arm to tell her to get her hand out her purse. Gentlemanly, Eva thought amused. Though she'd been in rough scrapes before and had learnt not to be so trusting, so she merely sat back and waited for him to tell her about himself.

"I am Talbot," he told her, talking a controlled sip of his drink as the waitress set it down.

"I'm Eva," she replied honestly. Again, she couldn't be bothered with keeping up with lies. At this, Talbot smiled a bit too eagerly. Eva was too busy taking a hurried sip to notice though.

"Also not from around here then?"

"Louisiana," she replied again, gazing at him curiously. He was impeccably groomed, and wore obviously expensive clothes. He had very striking eyes, framed by long dark lashes. He seemed charming to a T, and Eva couldn't help but feeling quite taken with him. Not romantically, he was most obviously gay, but in a trusting way. Of course he had just saved her life, but maybe that was simply down to his chivalrous nature.

"You are quite silly, but for the most part brave," he told her, "To burst in there as young as you seam, to save a human you don't even know, it's possibly the silliest but bravest thing I've ever heard of."

"Feeding on unwilling humans is _wrong, _and you're right – there as ignorant as pigs in this bar to ignore the illegal incidents to not get involved."

"Maybe there all just cowardly?"

"Quite likely," Eva smiled.

"To heroics!" Talbot announced, lifting his bottle.

"To heroics," Eva laughed, chinking it pleasantly.


	21. Chapter 21

"So, what brings you to Reno?" Talbot asked amicably, as they strolled away from the bar.

Eva was trying not fall into a false sense of security, but it was hard not to trust Talbot a bit. Anyway, she'd asked every other vampire in Nevada of the King and his party.

"I'm looking for the King; I need to speak to him."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, I have unfinished business with him…" she half lied.

"From the vampire summit?"

"…Yes."

"Terrible business, I was there…oh," Talbot suddenly interrupted himself. "Stay with me while you're in the area, I'm staying in the Corello hotel, it bodes well for out-of-towners to stick together."

Hearing this was more appealing an offer than Eva had heard in months; some mature non-sexually harassing company would be amazing after the month of stunted contact with others. She nodded all too eagerly and followed him to his car.

"Of course it feels a little uneasy in vampire hotels, but you can't let one incident halt your whole life," he carried on as they slid into the shiny modern and undoubtedly expensive car.

"I agree completely, I refuse to bury myself in the woods for the night."

"Hmm, unthinkable." He drove fast and smooth, navigating through the dark with ease.

"So what brings you to Reno yourself?"

There was a long quiet pause.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Ah, loose them during the chaos of the summit?"

"Actually," Talbot answered, "A close one did."

"Ah, very helpful of you to look for him."

"Well, he's indisposed. He came away from Lake Michigan in a bad way."

"Oh…I hope he's better soon."

"A naïve girl like you would hope that, bless you."

When Talbot spoke he sounded practiced and refined, but sounded like he aimed to elicit so response from Eva, or realisation. Eva got a sly undertone from him suddenly and felt mildly uncomfortable.

"I got married at the summit," he informed her sadly.

"Congratulations!"

"Oh yes, we'd been together for a grand seven-hundred years, we planned the most beautiful honeymoon. It was all supposed to be exquisite, but now it's all on hold."

"When he's better you can have one surely?"

"Yes, but all that planning for nothing…"

"I am sorry," Eva replied absentmindedly. In her head she was trying to recall the vampires that got married at the convention. She would have known if she wasn't dragged into everything, she would have served at their weddings. When she got sucked into all the drama she wasn't really aware what else happened at the hotel. She suddenly felt a little guilty for not educating herself a little bit while she had the chance; inside she thought she could slide around in her own little bubble and stay as safe as she could. There were other types of ignorance than ignorance to immoral incidents, and Eva herself had been one guilty of ignorance. She had been ignorant to the events in a world she was so clearly being dragged into. She decided to try and not live in denial anymore. Of course, in her current state there was no way she could.

"So you owe your alliance to Louisiana?"

"For now," Eva sighed. Talbot gave her a sideways look.

"Do you know something I don't?"

"What?" Eva laughed, "No, I know bloody nothing right now."

"Let me educate you a bit," Talbot purred, his voice holding a dark cutting edge. Eva felt like the vulnerable little girl again slightly. "In our world, allegiance is a strong part of who you are."

"Surely you don't believe that, isn't that somewhat stereotypical?"

"Stereotypical?"

"Too judge one on what state there from…I made a judgement on you, despite knowing what state you're from…" Eva was dropping a bit of a hint, she was beginning to realise how important origins and state boundaries were. It was something a maker would normally convey to a progeny, but Eva was learning through experience right now.

"Maybe that was your mistake then," Talbot answered darkly, ignoring Eva's subtle question.

Eva took a long thoughtful look at Talbot, and suddenly saw her constant pattern of being much, much too trusting. She felt a danger looming and began counting her options quickly.

Her options slimmed drastically when the roof of the car was torn off.

"Jesus Christ!" Eva screamed. There was a flash of dark hair, pale skin and the car swerved. She scrabbled for the handle but tugging at it she realised the car was locked, and there was a leg over the lock button. Eva remembered she had super human strength and skin tough as nails (she was somewhat forgetful) and covering her eyes, thrust her elbow through the window. The glass smashed, and Eva attempted to scramble out to safety, but there was a hand in her hair and she was pulled back into the car.

"These are suspicious times, and we don't take kindly to _strangers_ coming into our state and causing trouble," an almost familiar voice growled. Eva gasped and tried to unknot the fingers from her hair.

Talbot was retaliating with great strength, but the intruder was had easily overpowered him and held him by the neck on the driver's seat from behind. Perched on the backseat, one hand round Talbot's throat and another in Eva's hair, his face was unseen, until Eva glanced into the wing mirror. It confirmed her suspicions and Eva would have happily bowed to the sky and thanked God for her incredible luck. In fact, despite being restrained in a car with the roof ripped off, she could have cried for joy.

"Now listen closely, here in Nevada…"

"Victor…" Eva gasped, clawing at his fingers desperately. The minute he heard her voice, he dropped his grip and leaned forward to gaze at her in awe. Talbot took this slight drop in stance as his opportunity and whacked Victor viciously. Eva yelped.

Suddenly her alliances slid into place.

She ripped the clutch from the cars wiring and dealt a hefty blow at Talbot, who was still attempting to drive the car, and now it was missing a clutch, drastically failing. Talbot abandoned the steering wheel and lunged at Eva, but Victor restrained him easily. It was hard to have a tussle in a crashing car, but if anyone could, three vampires could.

Before the car spiralled off the wide fortunately empty road, Talbot leapt to safety through the gaping hole in the roof. Victor Madden looped one arm round Eva's torso, and threw the pair of them out after Talbot. The car crashed into the trees with an impressive explosion, but the vampires we're lying clear of range.

"Leave my state," Victor snarled, reeling to his feet immediately standing in front of a dazed Eva who hadn't quite composed herself yet.

Talbot wasn't a suicidal idiot, and literally disappeared before Eva's own eyes, and Eva suddenly felt her speed was a little pathetic. Though, coherent sensible thoughts weren't forming yet. She later marvelled at Victor's age, to make Talbot admit defeat so easily. Victor Madden turned to her with an incredulous expression.

"I get a call from George, a well-known vampire and bartender, claiming two foreign state vampires are causing trouble in his bar. Being a higher authority at this suspicious high-stake, no pun intended, time, it's my job to step in. Here I find _you_, you little trouble maker."

Eva stared at him; she was sure her guardian angels somewhere were bragging about this moment, this chance meeting.

"Well, I'm glad I'm a trouble maker, or I'd be wandering around this state for god knows how many more months."

"You are incredible, you realise that," Victor laughed gently, dusting his expensive suit off.

"Oh, I don't know about that, I'd say I'm just lucky."


	22. Chapter 22

**Reading back this chapter is highly dialogue based…hmm sorry guys. Oh well, a good conversation never hurts, if anything it tells a lot about a secondary character. **

"You're a vampire now?" Victor asked with a surprising casualness as they walked together.

"Yes, expecting that were you?"

"No, sorry," he laughed care freely. Eva got the impression he was more light hearted now, maybe her being a vampire now, or being free of the stress of the summit. "I've seen so many turned its lost some of its novelty."

"There's a novelty to becoming a vampire?"

Victor ignored her and smiled. Eva wondered if this was his first smile or not, and thought back to their brief meetings.

"It is interesting though, seeing you as a vampire. Especially considering I didn't think we'd ever see you again."

"Well…thanks for keeping the faith…"

Victor gave a surprising low little chuckle, and knitted his eyebrows together in a bemused scowl.

"You make promising vampire."

"Thanks," Eva shrugged. "Out of my curiosity, if it could scare Talbot silly, how old are you?"

"Hmmm, wouldn't you love to know," Victor teased.

"Yes. I would. Hence asking," Eva retorted. Victor grunted with his gruff laughter, and Eva was glad he had a sense of humour.

"Well, I lived before your Jesus chap, let's put it that way."

"Seriously…"

"Never met the man, before you ask. Heard about him. I was in what is now Germany in that time…"

Eva had never felt so young, but to think one day she'd be telling a young person she was turned start of the second millennium was exciting. She may not have lived through the time of Jesus, but she lived through the time of Madonna.

"Okay, next question."

"Go on, but I'm pretty sure I'm entitled a turn after that."

"Why does Felipe de Castro not what foreign state vampires in Nevada?"

"I am unable to divulge his exact reasoning's, but I'm sure you understand what a risky time this is. So many vampire elites dead or injured." Eva nodded. "Okay my turn, who's your maker?"

"Eric Northman," Eva answered without hesitation. Victor had been the first vampire to address her, okay second including her and Eric's angry meeting. Hmm, is there a reason Eric Northman is always first to me, Eva mentally joked. Then she realised he even beat Lucio to her hotel room, but in the end it was Lucio she ran after. Strange.

"Interesting…and what…"

"I believe it's my turn."

"I apologize, do go on."

"Even though I have a maker from another state, and am now a vampire is my position with you all compromised?"

Victor looked thoughtful for a moment.

"That's not my decision, but I'll tell you a secret."

"Please do."

"You may be even more valuable to us."

"Interesting…"

Eva couldn't see how she had become any more useful, but she supposed time would tell.

"You know, most girls would object to being referred to as a pawn," Victor suddenly pointed out.

Eva hadn't thought about this, she gave herself to Nevada completely and she felt the reason was obvious.

"Why did you come looking for us?" Victor inquired calmly. Eva felt like a child chasing after him, he walked with steadiness, a rhythm in his steps. She stumbled after him like a curious animal. All the grace in the world had been granted to Eva yet she still looked like a wounded animal next to this age old man and his grand sweeping steps.

"You're my employers," she answered uneasily, "You're the only vampires I'm familiar with…"

"Feel safe with?"

"Yes," Eva answered truthfully.

"Don't be so God damn naïve," Victor suddenly snapped, "You trust no one in this world being what you are. Your own family will turn their backs on you upon seeing your fangs, so don't presume to lay your faith in every vampire that charms their way into your world. Everyone has their motives."

At some point during this small speech they'd climbed into Victor's car, ready to calmly drive away from the wreckage on the road behind.

Eva was quiet for a moment, looking at Victor's hard tense jaw line.

"Who said I didn't have my own motives?" Eva asked quietly. Victor started the engine and slid the car into reverse.

"You have reasons for coming her. Not motives. If they are to be called motives, they're the most innocent obvious motives in the world."

Eva fumed, how dare he insult her 'motives' just because they didn't involve blackmail, torture or death?

"You're so damn cynical, how can you live an eternity being so solemn?" Eva snapped, provoking a surprising chuckle from Victor. She went on, "turn backs on you, trust no one, everyone has motives, blah blah blah."

Victor's smile diminished somewhat.

"You left your own maker pretty quickly to scamper here."

Eva was quiet. Suddenly her viewpoint had expanded drastically.


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry about slow updates recently and any in the next two weeks, I'm in London again so free time is more limited than back home. I do try though **

**I love how interested everyone is in Eva's character and her motives, and how annoyed everyone gets at her stupidity at times. No, I really love it. I didn't want a perfect character, like in other oc stories where the characters only flaw may be their clumsiness which is intended to be endearing as a flaw (most these characters intensely based on the author). No one is so amazingly wonderful and I'm proud I've created a character with imperfections as well as good points.**

Eric Northman stood on the road side. He didn't like to be kept waiting, especially for a woman. Staring absently into the darkness he contemplated the looming dangers that faced his world. With Sophie-Anne gravely injured and admittedly no defence to the state, vampire kings and queens were poised like predators for it. He wondered how long the state would really last in the hands of his current Queen.

His mind mapped out the usual things in his life, as one would survey a chess game. He was judging where to shift things, where to hide things, where to make his moves. Though it seemed all he could do was feebly attempt to hide people.

This realised dawned strangely upon him. Not the fact that he was between a rock and a hard place, he'd known that for quite some time, but the fact that his great concern was how to hide people. He wondered, in a surreal moment, whether this was because he cared for them or he was trying to hide what his enemies could use as leverage.

There was Sookie, who he very undeniably had feelings for. There was Pam, who was his child and of course he would be emotionally struck if anything we're to happen to her. Then there was Eva, his second child. His mind wandered to her often and her absence truly vexed him. He wondered where she was and often contemplated calling her. Not as in give her a bell sort of call, the mysterious vampire maker-child connection kind. He could really haunt the girl if he wished, he could summon her day and night, make shivers run down her spine as he beckoned to her, send her daily reminders of where she should be. Surprisingly, Eric wasn't that type of maker and let Eva run her path.

As to whether he was protecting these people out of emotion or out of strategic planning, he put it down to a bit of both. As he heard car tires approaching amongst the racket of the club behind him, he thought what a shock it would be to people if they realised how strongly he felt for some people.

As a much too yellow car appeared at the end of the road, he realised that for an enemy to use a person against him in blackmail, he'd have to utterly care for that person. Therefore, he was protecting the people in his life wholly out of emotion. That was a strange concept.

He turned and disappeared inside his bar for Sookie to seek him out; it wouldn't do to seem eager.

…

Eva clenched her fists on her lap and gazed out the window. The dark town rolled by, the empty streets quiet as people huddled in their pubs and clubs. If a vampire was stalking around that night, they were too graceful to let their footsteps be heard, even by a fellow vampire. It was getting colder as the year moved into fall, yet Eva felt neither chill nor breeze.

Victor drove fast and smooth, and Eva barely felt as though the car was moving. That could do to the fact her head was somewhere else though.

"Have I said something you didn't want to hear?" Victor inquired with a small taunting smile.

"Yes," Eva replied honestly.

"I am sorry,"

"No you're not," Eva sighed. She pushed the hair that had fallen in a thick curtain over her face behind her ear, and turned to give Victor a hard look. Much to her annoyance he still had a small smile apparent on his face.

"You're wrong, I am sorry. I don't want you running off home again."

Eva winced a bit at his choice of words.

"Home, hmm."

"Sorry, I'm saying all the wrong things tonight."

Eva ignored him and gazed out the window as the car turned into a wide driveway, darkened further by the archway of trees that stemmed over them, the branches woven together. Victor carried on talking to the back of her head.

"If you have the will to leave of your own accord though, your own maker, then there must be something you seek here."

"You know very well I'm here for one person," Eva suddenly stated bluntly and plainly, "He deserves to know I'm alive…sort of…"

"And then what?"

"And then I think I should go where my loyalties should have been."

"For a young girl, you've had to make a whole lot of decisions recently."

Eva was quiet and still as the car pulled up outside a tall modern house that seemed unnaturally large. As she climbed out the car she counted six floors, and wondered how many vampires resided in this one building.

"If you're thinking of going back to Mr Northman simpley to learn how to be a vampire, I assure you there's enough in our den to learn from," Victor assured creepily.

Eva imagined the incredible vampire she could learn to be amongst so many, many she imagined older than Eric, and probably less hot-headed. She caught herself, and corrected herself, all vampires we're probably hot headed, many just held an act long enough. Eva was learning to spot her naivety and tackle it. She was crawling towards being a stronger person – a stronger vampire.

"I know how to be a vampire," Eva hissed, she wouldn't have Victor Madden talking to her as she was a child. She was forgetting that to him, she was.

"You know the basics, you lack a maturity and ruthlessness required to survive."

As if to support Victor's point, she was greeted with the scent that made her tremble. The amount of blood inside the den was ridiculous; she imagined they must have barrels of the stuff alone in the cellar. She was walking into a place where human blood was poured like wine.

Her fangs protracted and Victor gave her a sideways look.

"I've not eaten in a really long time?" she hissed defensively. Victor laughed and put his hands up in show of submission.

"How long?"

"…ever…"

Victor halted abruptly and stared at her.

"Yeah, unusual I know."

"You've never fed on human blood?"

"Nope," Eva answered truthfully through her fangs.

"Did that not…send you crazy?"

"Yes," she continued truthfully. There was an awkward long silence as Victor stared at her bewildered. "You look…maddened," Eva finally chirped to break the tension.

"More amazed really."

"No…that was a joke…because your last name is Madden…" she laughed nervously

Victor raised one eyebrow.

"That's painful Eva…but atleast…you're trying to keep a sense of humour…?"

"Exactly…" Eva murmured, staring at the ground as they approached the large solid oak door. Atleast the embarrassment drew her attention somewhat from the amount of blood scent wafting in the air.

"Let me call Lucio…" Victor sighed, as he opened the door.

The flood of smells that made her knees weak poured through the open door, and Eva feared this was a test beyond all tests.

…

Somewhere in Shreveport, Louisiana, Eric and Pam murmured in old Swedish. They were discussing the state of affairs in low breath while the club swarmed with people around them.

Eric remembered teaching Pam old Swedish; he remembered teaching her many things. She was like a real child, enthusiastic and excited. She'd become incredibly cool and blazed over the years but her love of being a vampire remained. He wondered how much Eva had learnt, and if she'd warmed to being a vampire any more.

"Other states are circling like vultures," Pam hissed in the old language, "and I'm not sure there content _waiting_ for death to come on its own any longer."

Eric scowled, they feared the worse. If another state invaded it would be every vampire for themselves. Also since the summit, Sookie was now in the vampire eye. She was now a target. Fangtasia, being the largest vampire bar in Louisiana, was also a target. That made Pam a target.

He already knew he was a target, if he was faced with another state vampire he could bargain his way into a new position. Pam, Sookie and Eva were in no position to save their skins.

Eric wanted them round him in this conflicted period. He wanted them within reach, every waking vampire hour. Of course with Pam he had this. With Sookie, she would never stay under his thumb but she was within reach. Eva, he needed her within reach even if she wouldn't stay with him.

"We need all the support we need," Eric growled more at thin air than at Pam. She nodded, with a concerned expression. Fangbangers watched them avidly from a distance, dreaming of what they might be talking about.

"You want to call the girl back."

"Not particularly," Eric lied.

"It crossed your mind, I'm sure," Pam sighed.

"No, I would like her to show me her support of her own free will, but that's not happening."

Pam's mouth curled into a small taunting smile that excited their watchers greatly.

"If others could hear you now."

"Be quiet Pam," he hissed, rising from his chair and stalking out of the limelight of the bar. Pam followed with her feminine swagger.

"Seriously though, another set of fangs would be somewhat useful right now, don't you think?"

"Be quiet Pam," he repeated grimly. Pam sighed and let him walk away, exasperated.

Eric broke the stillness of the hallway as he punched the door frame. It was drowned out by the din of the bar, but all the miscellaneous chatter in the world couldn't drown out his thoughts.

His sting of rejection and choice to give his vampire wards a choice in life. Eric had a very different attitude to his own children that to the rest of the world. While he wouldn't think twice in throwing someone who'd spoken a bad word against him in the basement as if it were the middle Ages, he wanted to see his own vampires make their own decisions, judgements and way. Pam came back to him; she showed a gratitude to his gift of new life and felt she was lucky to have him as a maker, just as Eric had with Godric. Eric couldn't understand why Eva responded differently.

…

Somewhere in the top floor of a vampire den in Reno, Victor knocked on the door of Felipe de Castro's office to inform him of their latest perk.

Somewhere in Shreveport, Eric went against his beliefs and summoned his runaway child.

Somewhere in a large domed hallway with staircases spiralling round the walls and marbled floors, Eva Hunter felt a shudder run down her spine. Her senses swirled for a fraction of a moment and she felt a tug back to Shreveport, Eric blazed through her mind. It was the strangest sensation and for a minute she felt like turning and running from the manor.

She stared at the door. It wouldn't take long to go home now. She could make it halfway by morning, sleep in the ground and be there early the next night. Or she could do what she came here to do, and leave early next night. The shiver lingered in her mind. Biting her lip in frustration, she missed the simplicity of being a waitress.


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay dokay, let's get something straight. If I ever refer to their skin glistening, shining, or even glittering it is in no way Edward Cullen style. It is merely a mild shine that even Sookie notices in the book. They have skin to die for, that's all. Oh, spot the unintended pun ;)**

**Ps. I'm HOME so look forward to more regular updates**

"You're alive?"

Eva's hand slipped from the door handle and she turned to see her familiar face. If she were human she'd be catching her breath, but she wasn't, she was a vampire with super human speed and strength. As a result, her instincts took over and she threw herself across the hall with a force that left her a blur to the human eye.

"You're alive!" Lucio repeated, gripping her affectionately.

"Alright alright," she laughed, "I'm not Frankenstein's monster…"

Overcome with joy, she held on to him for longer than she intended, but Lucio had no protest.

"I know, but…I mean…"

"I know, it's amazing right?"

"More than amazing…you were being hunted by…everyone!"

"A miracle!" she laughed again. He smelled sweet and homely, and as Eva unwound her arms and stepped back, she took in every line of his skin, every contour of his mouth, every dash of colour in his eyes. All the parts and hidden bits lost to the human eye. Every strand of his hair was as bold and noticeable as the next. Eva hadn't looked at someone this hard since she became a vampire and it was like opening her eyes for the first time.

The light shone onto the right of his face and made every inch of every pore glisten with some unknown aura. She traced his jaw line with her fingertips, reminding herself what his skin felt like.

"How did you survive?" he asked bluntly and suddenly, taking her fingers in his hand.

"Erm…" She decided to be honest. "Very luckily, but how did you survive?"

"Don't ignore my questions miss against-all-odds, and I'm a vampire that's how."

"Well…me too."

"I can see that."

Lucio's eyes traced her from head to toe. She stepped back automatically, immediately trying to distance herself from the suggestive comments and stares. His hand still held hers though and he gave her a pleading look.

Eva hated herself; she kept jumping ship and re-evaluating her decisions over and over again. She left Eric who gave her everything, because she needed Lucio to know she was alive. Now what? She hadn't thought out her plan further than this, but now she needed to take control.

She had to face hard blunt facts. Eric was her maker. Eric could wield a great control over her, manipulate her, yet he wasn't. She felt a great lust for Eric, as any sane woman would, but feelings were a debatable issue. She cared very much for Eric but not quite in the way you'd expect a girl too. Lucio threw his life on the line over and over for her. She had feelings for Lucio, she was pretty sure of that. He now knew she was alive but so early after being turned she couldn't create more trouble for herself by staying with him. Her loyalties lay with Eric, a protégé surely belongs with their maker for their first year's atleast.

"You came here to find me?" Lucio asked tentatively.

"Well, yes."

"You fool."

Lucio's words stung more than any wound she'd endured, and her mind reeled as if she'd just been slapped.

"F…fine…" she stuttered, teetering between anger and tears. "I'll just….leave."

"Go, run home like the child you are."

Eva didn't hang around to hear any more ridiculous insults, and fled before she cried blood on the fancy marble floors.

It was late into the night, and Eva knew she couldn't go very far before she'd have to bury herself somewhere for the night, but she marched from the house wiping her bloody tears with the back of her hand. Smearing them across her cheeks.

"Off in such a hurry? You just arrived," teased a cold voice behind her. Eva turned slowly, giving her time to blink away oncoming tears to save face. The red smudges of the previous tears were still apparent on her cheeks though, and her face felt hot and flushed for the first time since she became a vampire.

The old vampire with hard pressed frown lines stood before her, wearing a dark blue suit and pristine white pressed shirt. He had a faint sly smile and his head was cocked vaguely to the side. He screamed smug, and Eva couldn't understand why. She'd met the man only once.

"I'm sorry, I need to leave now," she replied, in a quiet low voice. Felipe de Castro was the man she was nervous about seeing when she reached Nevada. As her former employer she wasn't sure what his reaction would be to her new state, especially as it was bestowed to her by another state vampire.

"You're looking very pretty Miss Hunter, in your new skin." Eva shuddered at his phrasing, it was like comparing her to a snake. "However you look weary, even for a vampire. I can see it in your eyes."

"I'm not weary," she stated honestly, "I'm slightly heartbroken and now I need to leave. I'm sorry I wasted your time."

She was sick of being manipulated, hunted, and controlled. She had decided to be frank with the other vamps and she was being true to her personal promise.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but it's almost morning. You'll be better suited staying until tomorrow night."

"I'm sorry, I _have_ to leave."

Felipe's frown lines grew deeper and his smile began to diminish somewhat.

"Are you running home to your maker or running away again? It seems no one can keep hold of you."

"Shut up," Eva snapped out of nowhere. She surprised even herself; the words had tumbled out her mouth before she could stop herself. She suddenly felt a bit like her old self again, the girl who submitted to no one.

Felipe's face grew more grim than ever, and Eva had to stop herself to stop her turning on her heels and fleeing out of fear. She'd been a bit stupid talking back to the King of Nevada, but by God was it empowering.

"I was simply offering you the comfort and hospitality of my house for the day," he said politely enough. Eva could see his fist balled, and knew she was talking to the manipulative face of Felipe de Castro. He must have a purpose for me, she though, or he'd have slaughered me and hung my limbs for the trees for kicks by now. "I have a proposition for you, now if you'll step inside…" he told her inevitabley. He gestured towards the house slowly and Eva sighed and walked back to the place she now detested. She knew there was no way he'd let her merely walk away, she'd now have to play her cards right and establish her situation. What he wanted and what she could get away with.

**Sorry I intended to make this longer, but there comes a sentence where you think, I have to end it on that note. Anyway, I'm changing the category because I realise I was pretty damn foolish putting it in True Blood rather than Southern Vampire Mysteries. But those who've not read the book, read on if you like. **

**Ps. Season 3 – way true to the books, I LOVE it. **


	25. Chapter 25

In the office of Felipe de Castro, Eva sat on a high backed red velvet chair. There was a large fireplace and large portraits of women on the wall. The oil paintings were not erotic, but the women were beautiful and sultry looking. Their eyes were vividly painted and Eva almost expected them to blink – they made her uncomfortable.

Felipe was sat across the room from her, a false smile etching itself slowly.

"You want me for something specific?" she asked as the silence stretched into uneasy realms. Felipe laughed in retort, and sat back in his chair like an old man watching television, but smugly.

"Look Miss Hunter…Eva, may I?"

"Yes, whatever."

"You were my employee and I appreciate you were turned by a vampire from another state, but you willingly left his care. I can only assume you will return to my ranks."

Eva felt the threat beneath to polite demeanour and carefully chosen words. She sat upright in her chair, matching his perceiving gaze with her hard strong stare.

"I didn't leave his care," she lied, "I took a temporary leave to do something I needed to do. My travels have led me to you."

"Don't kid with me, I see you for what you are."

"You don't know me," Eva snapped. Felipe rose from his chair and took a large step towards Eva, his fangs appearing.

"What you _are_," he repeated, growling through his fangs, "A little girl who doesn't know what she wants, running from place to place, man to man, in a vain hope of finding an easy life. Let me tell you, your easy life was shattered the minute you stepped foot in that hotel."

"I know what I want, and right now I want to leave."

Eva was trembling inside, but she put on her brave face and rose from the chair to stalk towards the door. She had never been looking for an 'easy life'; she'd been following her emotions rather than her brain and her instincts. 'What you are.' What she was, was a teenager.

Felipe appeared in front of her before she could grab the door handle. His face was calm again; he put one hand on Eva's arm to gently push it away from the handle. His changing expressions freaked Eva out; she was beginning to wonder if he had a split personality.

"Let me make you a proposition."

Eva had a feeling it would be more of a threat.

"You shall stay tonight, as it is almost dawn. I realise you probably intended to run scared back to your maker, a Mr Northman of Louisiana if I'm correct?"

Eva nodded vaguely. He knew who her maker was, from Victor. They'd probably researched his whole existence in the time of finding out and that point. Nodding wasn't required to confirm the facts, simply to move the conversation on.

"I have business with Mr Northman so…"

"Business…what business?"

Eva's brain was suddenly screaming red alert, and she took a step back to look his square in the face.

"_Business_, business between one vampire king and one vampire sheriff, not the business of vampire children."

"Vampire child of the vampire sheriff," Eva pointed out.

"Well…"

"…and vampire employee of the vampire king."

"Stop," Felipe snarled. "You are not born into trust in this world, we are not a monarchy. My point is you can travel with us to Louisiana tomorrow."

"I can travel, I have legs."

"You also have a brain, and if it has any sense it will listen to me."

Eva had realised a while ago she wouldn't be leaving that vampire den that night, and wondered whether she should put up some sort of fight in case he thought her submissive. After a moment of thought she realised she really didn't care anymore. Sighing, she followed the young boy outside the door to a room without a window.

Felipe watched her walk away gleefully. Sometimes, he just couldn't believe his luck.

The room Eva was presented with had tacky gold drapes, and a thick cream carpet. The walls were salmon pink, and the bedding was a gold that matched the drapes. There was a door on the far end which led to a bathroom, Eva presumed. She slid her feet out of her boots, and ran her toes through the thick tufts of carpet. There was a gilded mirror on the widest wall, and Eva saw her dusty weathered self. The room was tawdry and Eva felt silly sitting on the giant bed in her scuffed dusty dress and wild raggedy hair. It all felt a little strange, her situations were never quite right these days.

She was glad she was regaining some of her former spirit. She was almost excited to think she could become less vampire and more Eva when she put her mind to it. With a small smile on her face, she slipped into the bathroom.

She wiped her dress down with a wet towel until it was dust free and slightly more presentable. She turned on the taps and perched on the end of the large footed bath. She ran a comb through her tangled hair until it rippled down her naked back in knot-free tresses. Her skin shivered as she ran her fingers across the hot rippling water of the bath she drew, and when she finally climbed in smoothly, her body was in bliss. The hot water washed over her like a wave of calm, and she lay in the water until it went cold and icy in the stagnant air.

A house without windows can become stuffy, and although the other vamps didn't seem to care (they weren't breathing it after all), Eva didn't like the difference. She wished she could fling a window open and air the room in the short time before dawn. She was tempted to flex her new strength and kick a hole through the wall. She could push the wardrobe over it for the day. It was tempting and she smiled naughtily at the thought, but she was sure knocking a whacking great hole through his wall wouldn't help her grounds with Felipe.

When she finally rose from the now chilling bath water and wrapped a large towel around her, she re-entered her bedroom to find Lucio stood statue still on the far end of the room in perfect posture which no human could keep so wonderfully for so long, staring angrily at the wall.

Shrieking slightly, she drew the towel further round her. He looked up, then looked at the floor, and then looked at the door – his eyes scavenging for a place where he couldn't see her out the corner of his eye.

"Sorry…sorry…" he mumbled, eventually turning on his heels to stare at the wall.

Eva giggled, sighed and walked back into the bathroom to don her still damp dress again, all in good humour. Lucio biting his lip, moved over as awkward as a vampire can get to perch on the end of the bed. When Eva came out again he was twiddling his thumbs and staring anxiously at the wall. Eva, shaking out her wet hair, sat on the other end of the bed, drew her knees up and folded them.

They looked at each other nervously. Eva wasn't sure what their situation was now, and Lucio didn't know where to start.

"You were waiting for me?" Eva eventually questioned after a pregnant pause.

"Who else would I expect to come out that bathroom?"

"I don't know, you could have got the wrong room…"

"I'm a vampire; I don't make silly mistakes like that," he scoffed.

"Vampires don't make _mistakes, _that's a bit pompous isn't it?"

"Whats pompous about it, it's a simple fact? We're much sharper than humans."

"Haughty supernatural!"

Eva kicked him playfully and he grabbed her ankle chuckling. Eva tried to pull away and shake him off, but he tugged on her leg. She flopped on her back and slid across the large bed towards him as he pulled her. Laughing, she rolled over and up to push him with some force. Stumbling almost off the bed, Lucio grabbed her arm to pull her down with him. She grabbed the pole of the four poster bed, and pulled backwards sharply. The pair of the flopped side by side on the bed giggling.

"I like arguing with you," he teased.

"And I like fighting you," she retorted, rolling onto her belly and waving her legs behind her in the air.

"You really came here to find me?"

"Yes, I wanted you to know I'm alive. You're really angry and think I'm a fool?"

Lucio was quiet for a moment, looking at her for a while.

"No I'm not angry and yes I think you're a fool, an amazing fool. I'm amazed you came all the way here, but you're a fool for leaving the safety of your maker."

"I have a question regarding that, I felt the weirdest shiver before. Eric filled my head and I suddenly felt like…like I _needed_ to be in Shreveport."

"Shiver? Sounds like Eric was calling you."

"Calling me?"

"Summoning you, like reaching out to you and beckoning you urgently to where he is," he explained.

"Can I do it back? Can I call him or let him know where I am?" She asked fervently.

"No," Lucio laughed, "You're not a human telephone."

Eva scowled and pouted unintentionally at his mocking. Lucio smiled at her rather adorable expression and traced her cheek with his fingertips.

"You were so blunt with me before," she sighed, giving into his gentleness. "I couldn't understand it."

"I was a bit harsh I know, and curt, yes. But you need to leave; Nevada isn't safe for a vampire with ties to Louisiana."

"Why?" Eva questioned desperately in a low voice, closing her fingers around the hand on her face, and holding it against her cheek. It felt warm somehow, Eric or Pam, the only other vampires who had ever touched her face, didn't feel this warm.

"This is why I've come to you; they would have kept you in here until they needed you tomorrow night if not." Lucio paused for a moment, looking at her anxiously, and then continued. "Felipe is orchestrating a takeover of Louisiana, and you've stumbled into his paths perfectly on time for be useful…more than useful."

"I'm an idiot," Eva breathed, absorbing this information.

"You're Eric's child," Lucio went on. "To see you harmed or killed would be more than he could bear, and too see him killed would break your heart."

"He conducts negoigiations with me as a hostage…blackmail…"

"Exactly, Eric's a formidable foe and as well as needing him dead and not in his way, Felipe would be interested to keep him on. I know he see's Eric as valuable, and he values a valuable vampire. He'd think it a waste to kill him but would suffer greatly if Eric were opposed to him. Also, he'll threaten to go in guns a blazing with enough man power to slaughter Eric Northman if you don't help him in his takeover…tell him anything he needs to know, look at Eric with the sad pleading eyes that will make him succumb faster."

"Tell him things…like what? What do I know he'd possibly need?"

"The complete layout of Fangtasia, any dungeons, any secret entrances and exits, how many he has working with him in close contact, how many he'd have in numbers to rebel and defend himself. You will have seen enough in your short time there to be of interest, and Eric will have surely shared things with you. You're his child; he'd be trusting and open without realising it. You know more than you realise it."

Eva mulled this over. Lucio was right, she'd been there while he conducted business, tortured those who'd crossed his path in, yes, his dungeon. He and Pam had shown her every entrance, exit and hiding place within Fangtasia. She knew how many waitresses, bartenders, bodyguards, assistants, etc that was present within Fangtasia alone. She'd slept in Fangtasia but she knew where Pam and even where Eric secretly resided. They had instructed her where to go if they ever needed shelter. They had been more trusting than any of them had realised. Eva was the ultimate hold on Eric, the ultimate informant and she'd waltzed into the enemies den. She could have kicked herself but that would be neither useful nor constructive in the slightest.

"The situation is still highly salvageable," Lucio stated, seeing the shock and realisation dawn across Eva's face.

"How!" she exclaimed, panic stricken. They were now sat upright, tense and eager.

"There's still just over an hour until the sun begins to rise, you can get a good head start. Run, as fast as you can."

"Sleep in the ground for the night then continue my journey to Shreveport at sunrise tomorrow…"

"Yes. You can bring this whole thing crashing down or you can stabilise your position."

Eva was confused, but she was wading through the facts to form a solid plan.

"I warn Eric, he knows of the oncoming takeover and attack."

"He'll be ready; there'll be no leverage against him. I'm releasing you to go to him."

It all suddenly seemed very strange to Eva.

"Why are you doing this? Aren't you on Nevada's side?"

"I do things for myself, not for my state. I'm not a sheep like the other idiots who make it to the vampire side."

"They follow a hierarchy, and an allegiance."

"A state is a place, not a leader. Even Victor would go against his state allegiance to protect someone he cared about," Lucio told her.

Eva nodded gently.

"The takeover will happen, I'm not stopping the takeover, I'm simply securing you, and the maker that will care for you when I cannot, a position in the new regime."

"Even Eric saw this coming…"

"These are territorial times, and Felipe isn't a wicked man. He is just being strategic and while your Queen is invalid, a state will strike. If not ours, another. A state that may already be bonded with another state. A King or Queen, or couple, could rise to a power to take much of the south states."

"I understand…but how will I get out of here? I imagine the building is guarded?"

Lucio grinned widely, and taking her hand, led her out the room to construct her escape.


	26. Chapter 26

Eva and Lucio scurried through the corridors like naughty children. Lucio's hand was closed round Eva as he led her around the maze of hallways.

"Out front the guards will change in half an hour," Lucio informed her, once they passed a room full of drinking happy vampires. The smell of the liquids in their cups made Eva go weak at the knees, but she had to focus. "It's currently a vampire called Quentin."

Eva snorted at the name.

"You laugh now; wait till you see him…"

"Oh wonderful…"

"I'll distract him anyway, don't worry. The guard changes to just a human and some guard dogs for the day in half an hour, which is simple to get by but you cannot wait that long."

"I need the head start." Eva agreed. "Will you be okay distracting him?"

"I don't plan to start a fight with the man or anything, which would be foolish beyond belief. But I'll do the job, don't you worry.

Eva smiled and was reassured in her trust of Lucio. They passed another room with a shut door, but the smell of blood was distinctly in the air. Eva stumbled in their hurried pace, while trying to think of other matters. Lucio looked at her with concern.

"Have you not fed for a while?"

"No, but I'm fine."

"You're not fine, you're distracted. You cannot be distracted. I can get you something…"

"No its fine, you'd probably look suspicious requesting synthetic blood in this den of sin…"

"I drink True Blood," he informed her with a shrug before striding onwards.

"Really?" She whispered, hurrying after him.

"Yes, if anyone asks I'm vegetarian."

"Aren't you?"

"Yes, well…" He gave a short quiet snort of laughter. "I was born a vegetarian, so to speak."

When he turned back to Eva's eye contact, she looked bewildered and amazed. A light shone in her eyes that reached out to Lucio, and he gave her a questioning look.

"So am I. I have never consumed human blood."

With the truth out there on the table, both felt a sudden calm wash over them despite the chaos they were living through. The reality of another person as odd as them made them both feel so normal.

"You're tempted…" Lucio began again.

"…but staying clean becomes a euphoric feeling more tempting than a real feeding…" Eva continued.

"Feeding…feels wrong…"

"Immoral."

"Whats wrong with us?"

Eva smiled a smile so broad and natural and radiant it warmed Lucio. She hadn't seen that smile in a long time, and for it to now appear during these revelations made it so much more special.

"Maybe we're a new breed of vampire?"

Lucio laughed at her theory. He'd never been able to look at his strange ways with such a beautiful light.

"Most vampires atleast drink and go through a violence within themselves at first that then makes them decide to go clean," he stated.

"We're obviously not most vampires."

The incredible idea that the humanity to abstain was present within a creature such as herself made her evaluate a lot of things. The _compassion_ she'd been looking for within her own kind had been there in herself all along, and it took another person like her to bring that to reality. Then again, no one can see the good in themselves unless it's reflected back.

"We have to hurry," Lucio suddenly whispered as he remembered their purpose in sneaking through those hallways.

Eva nodded, and taking his hand they continued their flighty escape. The royal red of the walls flitted by as they ran like vampires.

Lucio brought her to only other room of the den she'd seen properly, De Castro's office. The ominous fear she'd felt before came racing back, but Lucio just squeezed her hand as he felt her shudders, and led her in the room.

"Felipe's downstairs probably, but even so, we still do not have much time…"

"I'm confused…"

"You see the fireplace?"

Eva did, she remembered gazing at the flames that flickered in the hearth as she tried to steady herself under Felipe's deep glare.

"It's your escape route."

Lucio opened a cabinet behind the large mahogany desk and pulled out expensive looking bottles of what Eva guessed (hoped) was synthetic blood. As Lucio twisted the caps off and used the liquid to douse the fire, she smelled the hints of human blood in it, and her knees went weak again.

"It gets easier," Lucio said without having to look at her. "You get use to the smell; learn how regularly you need to feed to avoid cravings."

Eva suddenly laughed, taking him by surprise. Turning to her with an incredulous look, she was still giggling away.

"Sorry, it just reminded me of avoiding chocolate in the old days. Seems my dieting never ends."

Lucio laughed with her, and as he doused the last of the flames moved towards her. The laughter and joy she could bring to a dark situation was incredible, and as he took her hand with one of his, and held her face with the other, he prayed to whatever God looked down on all living creatures that he would see her safe again in Louisiana.

"What will they do with you; they'll know you helped me."

"Don't you worry about me, I can handle them."

"Don't get yourself in trouble."

"Too late," he murmured into her lips. They shared a brief short kiss, before Lucio ushered her to the fireplace. Eva tore herself away and ducked under into the brick tunnel.

"Be safe," he whispered as she let go of his hand and disappeared back into the big wide world.

Lucio stood in front of the fire-less hearth for moment, then left to clear her path of guards outside. He wished her a safe journey, and them both a safe reunion.

Eva came out onto the roof, her already mangled clothes blackened and coated in soot. The black powder was in her hair, and on her skin, but Eva ignored it and from the moment she came out to fresh air she moved stealthily and quickly.

She slid down the angled roof, and let herself drop to the ground – glad of a windowless den. She ran across the grounds, the wind whistling by her. Within second she was out of Felipe's ground, and on her journey again.


	27. Chapter 27

"Look Eva, listen…"

"Go to hell!" she hissed, struggling against his grip.

"You have to listen to me…"

"I don't care!"

Shrieking and writhing, she was held against the wall in a vice like grip. Lucio looked forlorn as he held with ease. He wasn't ancient but he had a few years on her.

There was thuds and raised voices from the bar area, and Eva wanted to slam Lucio against the opposite wall and dive into action.

"Look, I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah, sure looks like it."

Sighing, Lucio slackened his grip slightly and as Eva hurled herself at him he deftly flung her so she went headfirst into the stockroom. She rolled onto her feet and span to retaliate, but he'd slammed the door behind him and stood in front of it with a defiant look on his face.

"Just stop for a moment, I'm here to help you."

"You sure about that one?"

"Yes, I'll keep you safe."

"And Pam and the others?"

"Who?"

"Them out in the bar, you can guarantee their safety, and Eric when he returns?"

"I'm here for you."

Eva made a dash for the door as his look softened, but he knocked her backwards deftly. She took a swing at him, and hit him squarely in the jaw. He was incredibly solid though and barely flinched. Eva took another attempt at a blow, but he held her wrists. She wondered when she'd attain that skill in a fight. When she was hit she was hit – maybe she wasn't use to her new skin yet?

"I'm between a rock and a hard place here, but look, Come with me, you'll be safe."

Eva stared at his dark eyes and sensed something amiss; she nodded faintly though to ease the situation along.

"How? How will I be safe?"

"You'll be with me, swear fealty, I can take you straight to Felipe."

"No," she breathed angrily.

"Eric will have to as well, the Queen is dead and the state is over run. Eric is too valuable and Felipe will secure him a position, but you…your expendable."

Eva sat up as Lucio loosened his grip slightly.

"The Queen is dead?"

"Yes, Felipe killed her himself."

Eva had a lot to chew over, and she while Lucio was making sense, there was something strange. She didn't trust it, for once, she didn't trust him. He'd laid his life on the line for her over and over again but this time, his face didn't show the same determination and distinct loyalty.

She wriggled out from under him and got to her feet slowly, so he didn't think she was about to jump him. She was very still, as if she was making a difficult decision. Eventually she nodded to him, and she saw a definite relief draw over his face. He went to open the door, still keeping a wary eye on Eva. She kept a false smile on her face and followed him into the corridor, the sounds of struggle in the bar had subdued.

Lucio was looking at Eva carefully, and suddenly her escape seemed bright and clear. In one big step towards him, she kissed him for the second time. She felt like some sort of femme fatale, but she kissed him as eagerly as she could manage. It wasn't romantic or exciting but apparently sufficiently convincing. Breaking the kiss to smile at him, she pulled at her collar. Lucio was still leaning forward into her, but when she pulled the top of her dress down further, he stepped back and looked at her intently. Lucio's eyes grew wider as she reached into her bra, and as her fingers wound around the vamp equivalent of mace she couldn't help thinking, 'boys…'

"Don't get too excited," she laughed. Before he could make a move, she pulled it out and sprayed him as directly as she could manage. Watching Lucio going down like a sack of bricks, Eva felt guilty for a brief moment, then trusted her instincts again and reminded herself he'd heal easily enough. She made a dash for the bar.

"I'm sorry too," she called, turning briefly to see him clutching his face. She thought Pam was a genius, clutching the silver water gratefully.

In the bar, Pam herself was nowhere to be seen. There were two vampires from Fangtasia pinned against the wall with stakes held to their backs by some tall stocky looking vamps. The one that had called her cutie was rummaging behind the bar; god knows what he was looking for. He was number one she thought, leaping over the bar. He was quick though, and grabbed her by the throat the moment she was close enough. She was about to spray him but he got hold of her outstretched wrist with his other hand and pummelled it against the bar hard enough to break her knuckle and put a large cracking dent in the mahogany bar top. Shrieking, she clawed at his hand with her other, and clutched the silver water with the other.

He leered and leaned close to her face, and Eva delivered a swift aggressive blow just below his belt. As he grunted in pain, instead of slackening his grip, he tightened it. Howling in pain, Eva kicked him again. Once more instead of letting go, he just smashed her wrist against the bar, this time making her drop the silver water. Then suddenly he was gone.

Eva slumped to the floor for a moment, and then pulled herself up again to see Pam straddling the repulsive man on the floor on other side of the bar, her teeth clamped down on his neck. He was struggling but Pam was obviously much older.

Eva felt her knuckle sort of, slotting back together. It was a strange sensation, but she had no time to stand and observe it.

Her canister had rolled somewhere under the bar, so she groped around for one of the stakes behind the bar. It must have been moved, she couldn't find the one next to the till, or behind the bottle of Mohito. She realised they were being used to hold the Fangtasia vampires in place, and cursed under her breath. Pam looked like she was set to drain the vampire between her knees, but the ones holding stakes we're debating what to do. Their orders were obviously to try and keep the vamps inside alive, but it was a Louisiana vampire or one of their own.

Finally, one decided to take a quick stab at Pam then deal with the vampire he'd had under threat once more, as Pam posed a much larger threat. Eva sprang over Pam and her victim, and as the stocky vampire was about to bring down his stake on Pam, Eva tackled him brutally sinking her fangs where they could get. The Fangtasia vampire who was now free lurched on the one threatening her co-worker and started another tussle behind Eva's own struggle.

The stocky vampire stabbed at thin air, aiming for Eva, but she was being deft and slight, and rolled out the way time and time again. Eva went rolling over a table, and he brought the stake down to viciously the table shattered. One of the table legs landed near Eva's feet, and grabbing it, she took her own stab at her opposition. He was just as quick, and Eva realised she'd need to be a little smarter to avoid this endless do si do. She hurtled between his legs and scrambled to her feet again, leaping back to where Pam was getting a good old boost from her almost drained buddy. Pam saw her coming, and was bewildered as Eva dashed behind her and plastered herself against Pam, her arms around her neck. The stocky Vampire lurched at the pair of them, and Eva kicked backwards, pulling Pam with her. They both crashed backwards in an entwined heap as the stocky vamp brought the stake down on his weak friend's chest.

Pam grinned ear to ear at Eva, but while the stocky vamp was blinking at the bloody mess beneath him, wondering who he'd just killed, Eva sprang forward and sank the table leg into his back. There was another sloppy sound and Eva was swathed in blood of both men.

"Executed beautifully!" Pam laughed, more gleeful than Eva had ever seen her. She looked positively rosy, and Eva put that down to her snacking.

Eva stared down at her blood splattered self, who knew being a vampire was this messy? Pam was still grinning ear to ear when they heard the distinctive ring of a cell phone from the hall. Pam disappeared into the hall and when she returned she had a sorry looking Lucio in her grips. He still had dark red patches streaked across his face that resembled burns. His eyes were hazy and he was completely submissive and forlorn looking as Pam threw him to his knees before her, and dipped into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

"Hello, Pamela Swynford De Beufor speaking, how came I help?" she trilled in mock politeness. Eva was avoiding looking at Lucio; she was still going on her instincts. Pam was doing a lot of umming and aahing on the phone, her eyebrows raised. When she was finished, she smiled and threw the phone back at Lucio; who caught it meekly and tucked it in his pocket.

"Seems you've somewhat failed the task you were set, but it's alright," Pam told Lucio, and Eva's stomach lurched. Pam turned to her. "Felipe and Eric have reached an arrangement, we now owe fealty to him as a king, but still Eric as a sheriff." There was a definite relief now stretched across Pam's happy face. Eva nodded and forced herself to smile. "Blah, blah blah, We're an allied kingdom now, so I _suppose _you can get up and dust yourself off…" she heard Pam instruct Lucio as she walked away, making her voice crisp, sharp and sarcastic once more now her scare was over.

Eva wasn't tired, but felt a certain weariness. Not physically, but of her whole situation. She wished Eric was back so she could talk to him, and she wanted to not be covered in blood that smelled so sweet she had to resist urges to lick it straight of her arms and legs like some sort of animal. Also, she did not want to hear what Lucio's task had been. Wandering back into Eric's office and sinking into his large swivel chair behind the desk, she noticed she'd left the cupboard hanging open. Inside were the spray, and the gun, and the papers and the curious crown. Lifting the crown from its resting place, she felt how heavy and solid and strangely regal it felt. Eva, a waitress from Lake Michigan was holding an ancient Viking crown that belonged her ancient Viking vampire maker. How times changed ey?

There was a creak of a floorboard, and Eva froze. There was another creak and she barely turned her head. Suddenly her senses tingled, and out of her peripheral vision she saw a large well built man with long straggly dark hair and grotesquely long fangs leap at her. In a fraction of a second her wits kicked in, and she dropped the heavy crown and her hand dove into the cupboard. The crown landed with an echoing clatter, as Eva fingers closed around the gun. Why not the silver water she couldn't fathom, but she was acting on the spur of the moment and the spur of the moment made her grab the gun. The greasy haired vamp was leaping over the table with fangs bared, and in a moment of sheer genius, Eva pointed the gun downwards, and pulled the trigger.

She rocketed herself back and landed in the chair, which swivelled round on her impact. Eva thanked her lucky stars as she heard the spray of splinters pierce the leather back of her chair. When the chair span full circle, a vampire with empty eyes gaped at her, his chest pocked with long dark splinters of wood. Then like a burst balloon, his skin bulged and tore, releasing a wave of blood that washed over gaping Eva. She stared at the wall and wondered what Eric would say went he saw what she'd done to his office.


	28. Chapter 28

"Look Eva, listen…"

"Go to hell!" she hissed, struggling against his grip.

"You have to listen to me…"

"I don't care!"

Shrieking and writhing, she was held against the wall in a vice like grip. Lucio looked forlorn as he held with ease. He wasn't ancient but he had a few years on her.

There was thuds and raised voices from the bar area, and Eva wanted to slam Lucio against the opposite wall and dive into action.

"Look, I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah, sure looks like it."

Sighing, Lucio slackened his grip slightly and as Eva hurled herself at him he deftly flung her so she went headfirst into the stockroom. She rolled onto her feet and span to retaliate, but he'd slammed the door behind him and stood in front of it with a defiant look on his face.

"Just stop for a moment, I'm here to help you."

"You sure about that one?"

"Yes, I'll keep you safe."

"And Pam and the others?"

"Who?"

"Them out in the bar, you can guarantee their safety, and Eric when he returns?"

"I'm here for you."

Eva made a dash for the door as his look softened, but he knocked her backwards deftly. She took a swing at him, and hit him squarely in the jaw. He was incredibly solid though and barely flinched. Eva took another attempt at a blow, but he held her wrists. She wondered when she'd attain that skill in a fight. When she was hit she was hit – maybe she wasn't use to her new skin yet?

"I'm between a rock and a hard place here, but look, Come with me, you'll be safe."

Eva stared at his dark eyes and sensed something amiss; she nodded faintly though to ease the situation along.

"How? How will I be safe?"

"You'll be with me, swear fealty, I can take you straight to Felipe."

"No," she breathed angrily.

"Eric will have to as well, the Queen is dead and the state is over run. Eric is too valuable and Felipe will secure him a position, but you…your expendable."

Eva sat up as Lucio loosened his grip slightly.

"The Queen is dead?"

"Yes, Felipe killed her himself."

Eva had a lot to chew over, and she while Lucio was making sense, there was something strange. She didn't trust it, for once, she didn't trust him. He'd laid his life on the line for her over and over again but this time, his face didn't show the same determination and distinct loyalty.

She wriggled out from under him and got to her feet slowly, so he didn't think she was about to jump him. She was very still, as if she was making a difficult decision. Eventually she nodded to him, and she saw a definite relief draw over his face. He went to open the door, still keeping a wary eye on Eva. She kept a false smile on her face and followed him into the corridor, the sounds of struggle in the bar had subdued.

Lucio was looking at Eva carefully, and suddenly her escape seemed bright and clear. In one big step towards him, she kissed him for the second time. She felt like some sort of femme fatale, but she kissed him as eagerly as she could manage. It wasn't romantic or exciting but apparently sufficiently convincing. Breaking the kiss to smile at him, she pulled at her collar. Lucio's eyes grew wider and as her fingers wound around the vamp equivalent of mace she couldn't help thinking, 'boys…'

"Don't get too excited," she laughed. Before he could make a move, she pulled it out and sprayed him as directly as she could manage. Watching Lucio going down like a sack of bricks, Eva felt guilty for a brief moment, then trusted her instincts again and reminded herself he'd heal easily enough. She made a dash for the bar.

"I'm sorry too," she called, turning briefly to see him clutching his face. She thought Pam was a genius, clutching the silver water gratefully.

In the bar, Pam herself was nowhere to be seen. There were two vampires from Fangtasia pinned against the wall with stakes held to their backs by some tall stocky looking vamps. The one that had called her cutie was rummaging behind the bar; god knows what he was looking for. He was number one she thought, leaping over the bar. He was quick though, and grabbed her by the throat the moment she was close enough. She was about to spray him but he got hold of her outstretched wrist with his other hand and pummelled it against the bar hard enough to break her knuckle and put a large cracking dent in the mahogany bar top. Shrieking, she clawed at his hand with her other, and clutched the silver water with the other.

He leered and leaned close to her face, and Eva delivered a swift aggressive blow just below his belt. As he grunted in pain, instead of slackening his grip, he tightened it. Howling in pain, Eva kicked him again. Once more instead of letting go, he just smashed her wrist against the bar, this time making her drop the silver water. Then suddenly he was gone.

Eva slumped to the floor for a moment, and then pulled herself up again to see Pam straddling the repulsive man on the floor on other side of the bar, her teeth clamped down on his neck. He was struggling but Pam was obviously much older.

Eva felt her knuckle sort of, slotting back together. It was a strange sensation, but she had no time to stand and observe it.

Her canister had rolled somewhere under the bar, so she groped around for one of the stakes behind the bar. It must have been moved, she couldn't find the one next to the till, or behind the bottle of Mohito. She realised they were being used to hold the Fangtasia vampires in place, and cursed under her breath. Pam looked like she was set to drain the vampire between her knees, but the ones holding stakes we're debating what to do. Their orders were obviously to try and keep the vamps inside alive, but it was a Louisiana vampire or one of their own.

Finally, one decided to take a quick stab at Pam then deal with the vampire he'd had under threat once more, as Pam posed a much larger threat. Eva sprang over Pam and her victim, and as the stocky vampire was about to bring down his stake on Pam, Eva tackled him brutally sinking her fangs where they could get. The Fangtasia vampire who was now free lurched on the one threatening her co-worker and started another tussle behind Eva's own struggle.

The stocky vampire stabbed at thin air, aiming for Eva, but she was being deft and slight, and rolled out the way time and time again. Eva went rolling over a table, and he brought the stake down to viciously the table shattered. One of the table legs landed near Eva's feet, and grabbing it, she took her own stab at her opposition. He was just as quick, and Eva realised she'd need to be a little smarter to avoid this endless do si do. She hurtled between his legs and scrambled to her feet again, leaping back to where Pam was getting a good old boost from her almost drained buddy. Pam saw her coming, and was bewildered as Eva dashed behind her and plastered herself against Pam, her arms around her neck. The stocky Vampire lurched at the pair of them, and Eva kicked backwards, pulling Pam with her. They both crashed backwards in an entwined heap as the stocky vamp brought the stake down on his weak friend's chest.

Pam grinned ear to ear at Eva, but while the stocky vamp was blinking at the bloody mess beneath him, wondering who he'd just killed, Eva sprang forward and sank the table leg into his back. There was another sloppy sound and Eva was swathed in blood of both men.

"Executed beautifully!" Pam laughed, more gleeful than Eva had ever seen her. She looked positively rosy, and Eva put that down to her snacking.

Eva stared down at her blood splattered self, who knew being a vampire was this messy? Pam was still grinning ear to ear when they heard the distinctive ring of a cell phone from the hall. Pam disappeared into the hall and when she returned she had a sorry looking Lucio in her grips. He still had dark red patches streaked across his face that resembled burns. His eyes were hazy and he was completely submissive and forlorn looking as Pam threw him to his knees before her, and dipped into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

"Hello, Pamela Swynford De Beufor speaking, how came I help?" she trilled in mock politeness. Eva was avoiding looking at Lucio; she was still going on her instincts. Pam was doing a lot of umming and aahing on the phone, her eyebrows raised. When she was finished, she smiled and threw the phone back at Lucio; you caught it meekly and tucked it in his pocket.

"Seems you've somewhat failed the task you were set, but it's alright," Pam told Lucio, and Eva's stomach lurched. Pam turned to her. "Felipe and Eric have reached an arrangement, we now owe fealty to him as a king, but still Eric as a sheriff." There was a definite relief now stretched across Pam's happy face. Eva nodded and forced herself to smile. "We're an allied kingdom now, so I _suppose _you can get up and dust yourself off…" she heard Pam instruct Lucio as she walked away.

Eva wasn't tired, but felt a certain weariness. Not physically, but of her whole situation. She wished Eric was back so she could talk to him, and she wanted to not be covered in blood that smelled so sweet she had to resist urges to lick it straight of her arms and legs like some sort of animal. Also, she did not want to hear what Lucio's task had been. Wandering back into Eric's office and sinking into his large swivel chair behind the desk, she noticed she'd left the cupboard hanging open. Inside were the spray, and the gun, and the papers and the curious crown. Lifting the crown from its resting place, she felt how heavy and solid and strangely regal it felt. Eva, a waitress from Lake Michigan was holding an ancient Viking crown that belonged her ancient Viking vampire maker. How times changed ey?

There was a creak of a floorboard, and Eva froze. There was another creak and she barely turned her head. Suddenly her senses tingled, and out of her peripheral vision she saw a large well built man with long straggly dark hair and grotesquely long fangs leap at her. In a fraction of a second her wits kicked in, and she dropped the heavy crown and her hand dove into the cupboard. The crown landed with an echoing clatter, as Eva fingers closed around the gun. Why not the silver water she couldn't fathom, but she was acting on the spur of the moment and the spur of the moment made her grab the gun. The greasy haired vamp was leaping over the table with fangs bared, and in a moment of sheer genius, Eva pointed the gun downwards, and pulled the trigger.

She rocketed herself back and landed in the chair, which swivelled round on her impact. Eva thanked her lucky stars as she heard the spray of splinters pierce the leather back of her chair. When the chair span full circle, a vampire with empty eyes gaped at her, his chest pocked with long dark splinters of wood. Then like a burst balloon, his skin bulged and tore, releasing a wave of blood that washed over gaping Eva. She stared at the wall and wondered what Eric would say went he saw what she'd done to his office.


	29. Chapter 29

**Over 200 reviews? You readers are too kind. I got a bit too happy when I saw this, more excited than most 17 year olds should be, but oh well **

Pam was actually laughing. She walked in calmly, stepping over pools of blood and splinters of wood with a bemused expression. When she reached Eva who was still sat gaping at the wall, awash with blood and vampire bits, Pam actually just laughed some more.

"You are full of surprises."

"…and covered in blood," Eva retorted plainly. She could smell the blood through every pore of her skin; it was intoxicating in the sheer amount. She became aware she was shaking slightly.

"He must not have realised the fight was over…you still doing that abstinence shit?" Pam inquired, touching the shattered worktop of the desk gingerly.

"Trying to, yeah…"

"You're beau's out there, you got him good."

There was a long silence, vampires generally don't say anything to simply break a pause. They spoke with purpose.

"I need a bath…" She stammered eventually, rising slowly from the chair. Pam reached into her back pocket and extracted a set of keys. Sliding one of with extreme ease that humans lack in fiddling with key rings, she handed it to Eva.

"Bathroom's fourth door down, wardrobes in second door down. Lock the door behind you if you intend to drop by Fangtasia again before dawn."

Eva wasn't sure why she needed to be reminded to lock the door behind her, when she realised this was as good as an invitation from Pam to stay in her grand home.

"Thanks Pam," she murmured, unable to suppress a smile as she took the keys.

"All my other nest mates died," she said with a shrug. Horrified, Eva wasn't sure if this was a threat, a forewarning or a simple explanation. Nodding feverishly, she left Fangtasia.

Pam's house was larger than she remembered on her last quick visit. Rather than take another tour, she found the bathroom sharpish. It was huge; there was a large tub on one end, and shower big enough to accommodate three on the other. Glancing at her red faced reflection she decided a shower was her best bet, and she shed her ragged dress and underwear to jump under the steamy water. Eva was glad to scrub the drying flakes of blood from her skin. What a waste, all this blood, it would have made a good old meal for one of the others. Instead she was doused in it, matted in her hair and coated on her skin, even under her fingertips.

Pam was smaller than Eva, but had bigger breasts, so Eva had to face the rest of the night without underwear. She'd get to a shop early tomorrow night, maybe shop online if much wasn't open. She wondered if some of her clothes were still in their box in the back room of Fangtasia from her brief time stopping there, she wished she'd remembered to check before she left.

She pulled on a white knit vest top, and a midnight blue skirt. It was a tad on the short side, but looking in the mirror she decided she could get away with it. She pulled on a black blazer with the sleeves rolled up, she hoped the lapels would cover her lack of a bra. Feeling beautifully squeaky clean, she thrust her _own_ key in her pocket and skipped out the house once her hair was dry and glossy.

Back in Fangtasia, everything seemed a-okay. Pam was at the front door turning away disappointed patrons.

"Look, we've had a vampire emergency, you can just get dressed up again tomorrow night," she was snapping at the sorry looking fangbangers trying to bargain with her. If they got in all they'd find is a turned over room containing a group of stressed vampires and a broken bar. Smiling at Pam, Eva slid by her quietly. The Fangbangers stared at her longingly; the male adorned in black latex a bit too longingly. Pam was still rebuffing their protests as Eva shut the door behind her.

Ginger created a comical sight, mopping up the bloody remains of the vampires they'd fought dressed in black leather pants and a leopard print boob tube. Eva side stepped round her as she did her chores, you wouldn't find the vamps cleaning up their own mess. Indira was behind the bar inspecting her nails lazily, and Felix was stood by the door with one hand in his pockets, and the other nursing a bottle of True Blood. He nodded at Eva amicably as she passed, and if there wasn't blood on the floor and walls, shattered tables and bar tops, and stakes lying around, one wouldn't have thought there had been a vampire skirmish only an hour before.

"Eric back?" Eva asked Felix, seeing as he had acknowledged her. He nodded towards the back corridor in his usual silent enigma way, and Eva presumed he meant his office. Which meant he'd discovered the state of it? Eva bit her lip to suppress another unexpected smile, and stepped over the wreckages to the back.

The room was as she'd left it, only the blood was drying in clumps, and the smell was more stagnant and prominent. She leaned against the doorframe, trying to refrain from messing her heels again (the only piece of her attire that she actually owned, she'd managed to scrub them reasonably clean).

"I hear this is your doing?" Eric commented in a noticeably bemused voice when he noticed her at the door. Despite being six foot five inches tall, Viking style menacing and baring inch-long fangs, his presence washed over Eva in a welcome wave of calm.

"I wouldn't say it was all my doing exactly…"

"Oh really? Well who should I be sending the bill for my new desk to?"

Eva laughed a light airy laugh that she had emitted when she had been human. Eric noted this silently. He had been stood behind the desk, examining the bullet hole with interest, but as Eva was laughing he noticed a glimmer on the floor. Stooping down he lifted his crown, and after checking it was intact, placed it back in the cabinet.

"You are a quick thinker," he added as an afterthought, while Eva was still beaming at him.

"I'm a vampire, quick thinking's part of the profile. I have to ask though, why a gun? What possible need or use do you have for a gun?"

"I acquired it for a human friend; I hadn't passed it on to her yet though. She seems to be always finding trouble and I decided to leave her another defence for the daytime. She reminds me sometimes of someone else." He explained.

"A human that was constantly in trouble? Gosh, I wonder who that could be."

"She's always a waitress," he added as if that were a large factor.

"Do you target working class vulnerable females?"

"It seems I subconsciously do."

Eva laughed again, and began stepping over corpse goo towards the desk. Eric was swivelling he chair around and looking at the small shards of wood jammed in the leather back with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't quite hear the full story, how did you pull of this magnificent feat of self defence?"

Smiling, Eva relayed the whole story to him. If they were humans they'd be sat with a cup of tea, but they were not and had no need to sit or want for comfort food or drink. A bottle of true blood wouldn't have gone amiss, but vampires didn't seem to treat casual conversations with the same mannerisms humans do.

"You do amaze me," Eric said again, as she got to the end of her recollections. Eva winked and laughed, prising the bullet out the table absentmindedly with ease.

"Where did you run off to?" she asked out the blue.

"I was protecting some investments."

"Really? Tell me about your night, how did you manage to secure us all safe grounding in the new coming regime?"

"I did some bargaining, it seems a valuable asset to the vampire community." It was Eric's turn to wink.

Eva nodded slowly, realising she wouldn't get much detail out of her maker.

"Well, thank you," she sighed in closing, turning to walk back out.

"No, thank _you._"

"A warning was the least I could do after running away like a spoilt child," she shrugged.

"That's hardly how I'd describe you."

"How would you describe me then?"

"You are brave, and determined, and passionate."

"Silly and stubborn."

"Resourceful and ambitious… and loyal."

"You can hardly give me that last one…"

Eric stepped round the desk to tower over her, having to look almost directly downwards to make eye contact.

"You could have ridden in here like a smug traitor with the Nevada vampires. You could have pulled a hundred and one tricks to make me submit, you could have taken a lot from me. You could have joined the hierarchy of the new regime in your deviousness and been incredibly powerful for one so young. You even had the people at your disposal willing to stand by you. But you didn't. You came here to me, humble and sorry, giving me everything you had…for a second time."

Eva was momentarily lost for words, and directed her gaze down to his chest while she thought this over for a fraction of a second.

"I would never dream of doing anything so underhand. It's ungrateful, undignified, just outright horrible," she replied eventually.

"Loyal." Eric said it in finality, he'd closed the debate. He was almost smug at proving the compliment right.

"Besides, the people willing to stand by me you speak off – I suspect they were planning a double cross."

"If you're referring to the little Latino-looking vampire…"

"You _do_ know his name…"

"He was supposed to coax you into going with him back to Felipe, who would trade you for my income."

Eva had known it had been a matter of time before she heard the details of her betrayal.

"How would that work?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady and devoid of emotion.

"What? Well…you, my ward, wouldn't be slaughtered before my eyes, and Felipe would get all extra income from Fangtasia and my other investments. I would get a safe position within the new regime and our lives, I'd get living costs but the rest of my income and…other things, would go straight to Felipe and the Nevada authority."

"So seeing as he failed to grab me, and there was less leverage against you, what have you bargained?"

"We simply swear fealty to him as a king, I get to keep my income but will answer Felipe's summons if I was needed, as will you. In short, we'll be exactly the same but with a more tactful King rather than the dramatic queen we pledged allegiance to previously."

"So nothing's changed?"

"Nothing dramatic," Eric shrugged, then added, "Don't feel too horrified or betrayed, the boy didn't have much of a choice."

Eva raised a questioning eyebrow, she was beginning to slide into that only talking when necessary thing vampires acquired. She was also suspicious Eric wasn't telling her he whole story, but oh well. She knew she could never expect him to pour his heart out; penny for your thoughts was a phrase not worth bothering with.

"Felipe had his master…" Eric continued.

"Victor?"

"Yes, Felipe could slaughter Victor in an instant if he wished, seeing as Victor's stood by his side most of the time. Lucio's pretty much under his thumb – you should count yourself lucky he managed to sneak you out. Felipe's probably suspicious about that as it is."

Eva nodded for what felt like the umpteenth time that night.

"You think I shouldn't hold it against him…should forgive him?"

"I don't care too much, do whatever," he said casually in the classic Eric style.

"Thanks, you offer much moral guidance as my maker,"

"It's not my job to interfere with your love life; I'm not your Father…well…"

"You technically are…"

"Why don't you have a mop in hand? Have you seen the state of this place?"

Eva giggled, taking a casual step back and folding her hands behind her back.

"I'm serious…look at it…" he said before striding out in typical impressionable Eric-style


	30. Chapter 30

Eva sat in a booth at Fangtasia, playing with her hair absentmindedly. Nights were passing quickly since the rough and tumble, and they'd all fallen into a neutral state of affairs in Shreveport. Neither Eric nor Eva had brought up what had happened, and while their relationship was strained at times, it was functional and rather interesting. Pam was teasing Eva one early morning, while they stood outside Fangtasia carding people, that the pressure sometimes felt between them was nothing more than sexual tension. Eva had scoffed, as she tried to judge whether the driver's license in her hand was fake or not.

"More like I feel guilty and awkward and he doesn't know what to do with me," she answered, as she handed the card back to the nervous looking boy. He seemed rigid with excitement yet anxiety, and Eva realised her fangs had made an appearance. Vexed, she tried to coax them back, and then gave up. She was still a novice at executing control over her fangs, especially when something had rattled her, but she had plenty of chances to practice around the bar.

"You forget, I am also a creation of that handsome man," Pam commented with a grin, waving a young girl in latex on in.

"I thought men, however handsome, weren't your style?" Eva laughed, baring her long fangs at Pam accidentally.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she hissed playfully, passing her own tongue over her fangs at Eva and raising her eyebrows suggestively. Eva looked at the floor with a grin to shrug off Pam's lewd jokes. "I was young and inexperienced though," she continued more seriously, "so my point is, I've been through that early stage and I mean real early. You can cut the sexual tension with a knife – and me and Eric were having sex anyway."

Eva stared at Pam hard, she was so open and casual about her sex life, and Eva wondered if that was a point you reach or just a lack of modesty. Eva had never been naïve or shy, but she'd never laid her experiences or fantasies out on the table for discussion. This world where almost anything goes was pretty new to her.

"So, aside from your pointless refrains from rolling around with Eric, tell me something interesting?"

"Like what?" Eva sighed. She sometimes thought how lucky she was to have Pam, who was more on the chatty girly side than other vamps. Other times she thought she'd decided she could occupy the quiet points in her long life with gossip.

"Oh I don't know - anyone else caught your fancy?" her voice was almost dripping with sarcasm, and Eva knew what she was getting at but rather watch Pam get irritable.

"Heavens, no!"

Pam gave her a cold hard glare, and eventually Eva laughed and shook her head.

"Look, I haven't seen him since that night. I know I'll see him soon seeing as there all swanning about enforcing the new regime on us. I'm surprised they've not been in already to be honest. When I see him I'll see him, really he should come try and talk to me…" Eva found herself babbling, and Pam was starting to look bored.

"Seems to me," she drawled, stepping aside to let a tall Asian vampire leave Fangtasia with a blonde boy on his arm. "That you are denying yourself all things fun in vampiric life."

Eva gave her a questioning look.

"You mean the blood?"

"The blood, the sex, the wild violence and anarchy you can rein with your bare hands…or teeth…" Pam was practically drooling from her fangs describing her idea of a fun time. Eva shook her head again.

"You know, when I was human I looked forward to being able to buy my own house, have my own garden…children…"

"Forget it," Pam snapped simply, knocking Eva out her slide to depression. "Have some fun, when I was turned it was all quiet and secretive. What I'd have given to bare my fangs at someone in the street…have people know what I am…"

"I imagine you we're on the edge of your seat the day you all came out…"

"Oh, you have no idea…"

That was the only time her stunted relationships had been brought up, and Eva was glad of it. They depressed her somewhat, and sometimes she wondered if Pam was right, that she did just deny herself everything fun. Was she subconsciously punishing herself or something strange and similarly physcologically complex?

She was pondering this as men and woman in ridiculous costumes or skimpy latex wonders gawked at her. She had offered to barmaid but Eric had stared at her as if she were mad and told her to sit out there and look pretty and indifferent. Not too sure how to look indifferent, or purposely pretty for that matter without pouting at all the clientele, she just sat back and thought her problems through. On the scale of things though, her problems at that point in time weren't too substantial. Not compared to what had become the norm for her anyway, hate bomb attacks, crazy bloodthirsty vampires ready to jump her bones or drink her blood, vampire royalty planning to use her for blackmail, and the like.

It was ironically the moment she'd decide her life was pretty damn alright for the moment that Victor Madden walked in the bar. He attracted the usual wave of looks and whisperings as he entered, as most vampires do. His hair was slicked back neatly tonight, and he wore a pinstripe suit. Eva couldn't help thinking he looked like he'd stepped out the nineteen-twenties. All he needed was a cigar and some jazz music for ambience.

It was while Eva was making these imaginative observations that he turned, and nodded to her quickly. She smiled back, trying not to look too interested in his arrival. He walked on towards her and when he was about a metre away he dipped down so his face was close to hers. Eva instinct reaction was to move back, but she reminded herself she was a 'fierce female vamp' and didn't scurry away from men's dominating gestures. She had recently began asking herself, what would Pam do, when it came to situations she wasn't familiar with, and had found that mental stance had served her well.

"Where's Eric?" he asked in a low voice.

"In the back unless he's flown off somewhere out the window."

Standing erect and nodding, Victor turned and slouched off to the back offices. Eva went back to giving hopeful fangbangers hard stares. She decided she couldn't tolerate them approaching her and talking to as if she were Queen of the British Empire. One actually fell to his knees and bowed – Eva would have gagged with disgust if she still had a gag reflex.

She found herself glaring momentarily though, for Vincent marched back out with his usual smug grin on. Eva slid out of the booth seat and followed his brisk pace out the front door.

"Everything going swimmingly then?" she asked loudly as they were outside to attract his attention.

"Oh yes," he leered, spinning energetically to face her. "Louisiana seems to be prospering greatly under Nevada rule…"

"I wasn't aware it was failing under the previous Queen's rule," she snapped. She was sick of this hoity-toity attitude the new authority took with them. She'd heard the old Queen was lavish and conceited at times, but these people could be smug to the core. But she stopped to remind herself they weren't always like that; Victor had been sweet to her. Well, he'd been alright, she wasn't sure you could classify the vamps actions as sweet. He'd saved her life numerous times, but for his protégé the first time and for motives the most recent of times. She suspected their victory over Louisiana had also made them feel superior.

"As if you'd know," Victor commented. "You did run away to my den after a week of this place, was it really that bad?"

Eva growled, attracting the attention of patrons stood outside the entrance of the bar having a smoke.

"Or was Eric Northman's sexual advances too much to bear?" he continued.

Eva's fangs made an appearance, but Victor simply laughed and turned on his heels.

"By the way, Lucio will be calling in the near future. I do ask you be gentle on the boy…" he called as he slunk away.

"Course, because you've really buttered me up…" Eva retorted, turning herself.

"I have found new joy in winding you up."

That was the last thing she heard from him before he disappeared to the shadows in the wonderful way vampires could. Eva decided she needed to learn that trick. Glaring at the distant darkness, she turned and stomped back in.

The night crawled onwards slowly until Eric's second visitor arrived. In a attractive brightly coloured dress and with blonde hair pulled back into a sweeping ponytail that accentuated her high cheekbones and square jaw, the young girl walked with purpose to the back.

You wouldn't enter a vampire business office unless expected, so Eva regarded her with interest. Pam was sat in what was normally Eric's chair, high backed and stupidly royal looking, set on a platform slightly apart from the tables and booths. Eva picked her way towards Pam and perched on the large arm of what could only be referred to as a throne.

"A lot of visitors tonight," she murmured, and Pam nodded.

"Yes, Felipe de Castro arrived a short while ago in case you didn't notice," Eva hadn't. "Seems everyone's visiting but you're beau."

"Please stop referring to him as that," she snarled. Pam laughed and patted her upper thigh. Eva stood up, Pam's mock-lesbian pursuit was beginning to worry her. "And the blonde girl?" she asked to change the subject.

"You haven't met Sookie yet?"

Eva's skin almost tingled with the name, as if it were to be prominent to her in the near future. She had a bad feeling.

"No," she replied quietly.

"I trust Eric will introduce you eventually."

Pam got up and walked onto the dance floor to flaunt her unnaturally good moves. Eva was about to pursue her and ask her what the girls significance was, then decided against it. She didn't want to appear obsessed so she simply sank into the throne and watched Pam dance with amusement.

Several minutes later, Sookie stomped back out and across Fangtasia. Eva tuned in and thanked whoever was looking down for her superhuman hearing.

Pam stopped dancing as Sookie stormed near her, and looked at her with an inquisitive smile.

Time seamed to pause as Eva leaned forward in her chair to hear Sookie's cutting words.

"I'm pledged to Eric…I'm a vampire wife…and. You. Knew."

Sookie hissed the words through gritted teeth, and Pam just laughed and carried on dancing. Sookie flounced past her to walk out, but Eva's insides were bubbling.

All she could see was red. A big haze of bloody red.

I don't love Eric of course; she told herself grimly and too an objective listener unconvincing, that would be stupid. I just want her blonde head on a plate.


	31. Chapter 31

**Does anyone like Sookie? Hahaha, I love her myself but everyone else seems to be really irritated by her. By the way – season 3 finale! How good? At the end when Bill made his sweet speech – "I have never loved nor never will love like this" my heart belonged to him. Shame he lied and cheated…**

**By the way, I was reading over the early chapters. Sorry I kept calling Victor Vincent, I'm surprised more people didn't point it out, it was quite frequent. It would be a lot of effort to go back checking every single time I used his name, so I'll just apologize again.**

Eva moved slowly so as not to attract attention. She rose from the throne and biting her lip to prevent herself screaming at an innocent passerby, she slunk towards the back door. The only people who noticed her leave were the avid fangbangers that watched her every move, and they didn't have much significance in Eva's order of people who mattered. They mattered as people of course, she wasn't that brutal to disregard a life, but in her situation they didn't matter.

Her chest actually hurt, as a human feels when they struggle to breath. She was choking without actually breathing. It was the strangest sensation, but pushing it aside, she quietly and stealthily left Fangtasia. The only people who noticed her leave was her shallow admirers and a quiet Latino looking vampire who'd entered the bar as Sookie had left it.

Stumbling outside in an unusually ungraceful manner, Eva relished in the quiet night air. Her fangs were protracted and blurry red was welling in her eyes. She tried to calm herself, then gave up and submitted to the building rage.

Leaping like a mountain lion onto the roof, she padded across it until she was facing the car park. She could see Sookie starting her Malibu on thefar side of the car park. For the moment, Eva detested her. She hated her hourglass figure, and beautiful features. She hated her blonde hair, and beautiful dress. She loathed everything about the woman who was pledged to her maker. Who she definitely did not love, she reminded herself.

As Sookie pulled out, Eva dropped down from the roof with the agility and litheness of, well, of a vampire; scaring the wits out of the poor human Fangtasia worker who was stood outside carding people. One second she there, next second she wasn't. She was a blur in the night pursuing the old car as it drove through the darkness.

As she ran with her feet barely touching the ground, she could almost feel her heart beating again. It was exhilarating, and at the same time the despair she couldn't deny pulsed through her veins. She wanted to howl like a wild creature, but kept her wits about her and moved as silently as a ghost. For a moment or two she thought she heard another rustle of movement behind her, then dismissing it, ran on.

She reached Bon Temps with more fire in her heart than she thought possible, and crouching low in the shadows she watched Sookie get out of her car and walk up to the dimly lit porch. She wondered whether to get her now or wait until she was inside, then remembering she'd need an invite to enter, she stepped forward boldly. She didn't know why she was there, about to do what she was about to do, but she couldn't stop herself.

Sookie didn't acknowledge another presence straightaway, she was fumbling with her keys and as Eva padded across the lawn like a true predator, she paused as if listening intently. What could she do to stop Eva? What good would she do against the enraged vampire child of Eric Northman? Thinking spitefully, Eva actually smiled.

She was mere steps away from the porch steps, and suddenly Sookie got her sense back. She started jamming her key in the lock at a hurried pace, knowing that if whatever was coming up behind her was off vampire persuasion, she needed to be inside sharpish.

Eva caught on Sookie's quickening in pace, and losing all inhibitions, sprang, fangs bared, like a bat out of hell.

Everything would be a blur to a human onlooker. All at once the once still yard was abuzz with movement and people. Mid pounce, another hefty strong body sprang out of the opposite shadows in record time. It caught Eva while she was air Bourne, grabbing low round her waist so her fangs were away from retaliation. Eva hissed as the figure blocked her attack, and clawed at the body with her fingernails. They landed on the grass with a small thud, and Eva's opposition rolled onto his feet, and clamping once hand (very bravely) over Eva's mouth, and the other under her arms and round her middle, pulled her back into the cover of trees before she could retaliate. She found herself looking at grass while she was being dragged then lifted, then as she regained posture she was facing Sookie's porch, back in her original vantage point. Eric was stood on her porch, kicking the door open now it was unlocked and pushing Sookie inside. All this happened in a matter of sheer seconds.

Confused and dazed, Eric bit down on the hand restricting her mouth. The blood she drew as she pierced the flesh was not human, not that she expected it to be, but tasted sweet and familiar. There was a quiet yelp near her ear and Lucio thumped her angrily.

Eva turned to look at him, at a loss for words. He held a finger to his mouth signalling for her to be quiet, and quickly assessing to situation, she chose to heed him. Looking back, Eric's eyes were fixed in their direction, Eva let out a small gasp and his gaze grew keener. She was aware of Lucio rising ever so slowly, holding her arm indicating for her to move at the same pace. When they were on their feet, he slid his arm round her waist, and next moment she recalled, Eva felt like some sort of monkey leaping through the tree tops.

When Lucio set her down on a thick tree branch some distance away from the site of near bloodshed, he looked at her with imploring eyes.

"Wha...Why…" That was all she could get out. How'd he been there, she wondered, how'd _Eric_ been there. She genuinely didn't know where to start. "Are you stalking me?"

"No, just visiting actually…are you _mad_…" he hissed.

"What? Oh god…I'm so utterly confused."

There was another moment of silence, then as Eva opened her mouth to say something, Lucio sprang forward, smothering one hand over her mouth again and pressing her against the tree. Establishing eye contact with Eva, and then sweeping his eyes downwards, he indicated below. Eva followed his gaze and under the tree they were plastered against, Eric picked his way through the undergrowth. His knees were slightly bent, ready to spring, and his fangs poised. He waited for a moment, glancing from side to side in the darkness, and then carried on.

If they were human, they would have released a sigh of relief.

"He would have ripped your fangs out," Lucio whispered. The sweet moonlight shone through the boughs of the trees and let a dappling light fall on Lucio's face, illuminating it against the blackness of the woods.

"I'm his child…"

"Yeah, so he wouldn't have killed you. Just seriously injured you and maybe mutilated you…"

Eva imagined if Eric had had the chance to turn on her, what extent would he have released his rage on her.

"He's my maker," she whispered feebly.

Lucio lifted his right hand to sweep her stray strands of hair away from her face.

"I'm sorry I bit you…again…" she added.

"I expected some sort of nip from that endeavour. Besides…I don't mind if it's you…"

Eva chewed this over for a moment.

"Who else has bitten you?" she asked eventually.

"Victor turned me of course…then people in fights…Natalie bit me once…"

"Natalie? I thought she was Victor's?"

"She is. Meaning she is also my sister. She can get rebellious and frisky at times," he informed her with a casual shrug. Eva shook her head; she could never be so flippant about things like that. Lucio's expression grew unreadable and after another long pause he asked, "Jealous?"

"Erm…yeah…" Eva lied.

"No you're not," Lucio snapped.

"I'm sorry…do you want me to be?"

"Yes I want you to try and jump her like you tried Eric's little blonde friend."

Lucio shuffled back on the branch and crossed his legs as if they were sat on a park bench rather than twenty something feet in the air.

"…whats going on, why are you here?" Eva cried, focusing on the subject at hand once more.

"I came to visit you, I did tell Victor to let you know."

"By near future I didn't realise he meant little over an hour…"

"When I came you were sneaking off. I went to see if you were off to get into trouble…"

"What if I was just off to the bathroom!" Lucio raised an eyebrow. "To do my make up…"

"Well, you weren't…"

"But I've walked in and out of Fangtasia lots of times…"

"Right, but I was there at that moment."

"Lucio?"

"Yes?"

"Have you been following me?"

There was a quiet pause.

"On occasion…"

Eva sighed.

"I'm sorry," he continued. "But you wouldn't speak to me, and all sorts were going on, I just wanted to see you were okay. It's not stalking, just visiting from afar."

Eva couldn't help but laugh, albeit quickly so Eric didn't come plundering back through the woods fangs a blazing.

"Visiting from afar, that's a good one."

Lucio smiled, brightening up his face.

"I knew you'd understand my logic!"

"And Eric? He knew what I was up too…how?"

"He's you're maker, he's in tune with you to a certain extent…and Pam probably tipped him off, she's a sharp one…"

"I'll never get out from under you guys thumbs."

"Sorry, we just care."

"He cares for Sookie…" Eva pointed out. He was hardly bounding down to give Eva a hand, now was he? All her earlier bitterness sprang back, and she looked away from Lucio before she could slip back into her madness.

"So…" she began again, plotting out the events in her head. "I went after Sookie, you came after me, and Eric came to maybe chop my hands off and tell me off…"

"Pretty much, the trouble you do cause…"

"He's…she's…pledged to him…" she breathed quietly to the night air, ignoring Lucio.

"What do you care?" he asked with an edge in his voice.

"I don't…" Even as Eva said it she realised she was outright lying. It was beyond obvious.

"Yeah right," Lucio snorted.

"Oh Lucio…She's _pledged_ to him."

"Yes, they are joined in the eyes of vampire regularities…she is his and he is somewhat hers…" Lucio said it tediously, trying not to notice the effect it was having on Eva – but it was hard to noticed her devastation, no matter how much it tore Lucio apart.

Eva blinked away tears but they came thick and fast. She remembered why the name triggered a response in her now.

_"The Fellowship of the Sun has cleverly snuck in a succession of bombs, which are now being deployed in series around the hotel. In a couple of hours this place will be rubble."_

_"And you're calm, cool and collected, how!" Eva shrieked, waving her arms in the air in exasperation._

_"My Sookie's out, my child – Pam is out, and now here you are safe and sound and soon to also be out as well."_

The memory summed it up for her entirely. She came third, and always would. This Sookie had taken priority over even Pam, and Pam definitely took priority over Eva. In Eric's life, Eva was the third most important girl; maybe even less on the scale if there was someone she still wasn't aware off. The horrible bitterness of an indirect rejection washed over her, and with one small gasp, then another louder one, she eventually broke into a series of wails.

Melodramatic as it may have seemed, blood streaked down her rosy cheeks as she howled like a lost child. Lucio rushed forward to hold her, and as she cried into his now bloodied shirt, he stroked her hair and murmured gently in her ear.

Lucio had intended to talk a lot of things over with Eva while he had the opportunity, but the opportunity had passed and now he couldn't bring himself to not hold her and try and comfort her. Anyone else he would have wanted to shake back to their senses, but with this girl that had brought a certain degree of excitement to what he'd seen as a life slipping into the monotonous, all he wanted to do was ease her pain. As Eva cried for being unloved and for not coming first, Lucio mulled over how he hadn't come first. She didn't feel the blazing jealousy for him; she didn't feel the calm and serenity from his company as he did hers.

"You don't love me," he asked directly and straightforwardly.

Eva sobbed for a couple more minutes as girls do, then raising her head again; she held his cheeks and smiled through her blood smeared face.

"How can I not love you?"

"You cry for coming third, why should I not cry for coming second?"

"Eric's my maker, I'm sorry, it's just instinct, I…"

"He got to you first. If I had known where you were, I would have been your maker."

"We were amidst a bombing…" she protested.

"No Eva. My biggest regret is not finding. Not turning you before he could…or even saving you…Eva you could have been human still…"

"I could be a lot of things – if I'd listened to my Mother I'd be a solicitor. I could still be a waitress. I could be dead. Living in the past would get me nowhere and the same goes for you. Sure I could be human, but I'd still be vulnerable, I'd still be running from people…"

"I'd have looked after you. Eva, I come second to you and it's my own fault."

Eva hated Lucio feeling like this, she detested him weighting his own happiness on impossible feats he could have done for her. Eric would have never told Lucio where she was, and Lucio could never have found her. She could neither hate Eric though, if he hadn't come for her himself she'd be dead. Well, really dead.

"I never envisioned myself having this conversation in a tree…" she pointed out. Lucio laughed gently despite bloody tears of his own appearing in his tear ducts. He was full of hate and regret and remorse and the only thing he was taking comfort in was Eva's presence by his.

"If you were my child, how simple this would all be."

"I'd never be second best to you, ey?"

"You never will be, no."

"What selfish creatures we are, not content with someone's love unless it's wholly there's."

Lucio nodded slowly.

"Yes, but we are meant to be in pairs, I believe anyway," he told her.

"And Eric has Sookie…"

"So you're left with me, unless there's someone else I need to face?"

"No…and I'm not left with you…I'm blessed with you."

"Eric…"

"I don't love Eric…"

"You just want to obliterate any other woman in his life," Lucio pointed out.

"He's my maker and those instincts are there. I'll work over them, but as to spending my life with Eric…being a couple with Eric, in the old fashioned sense of the phrase…god…Good luck Sookie!"

Lucio laughed, and leaning forward he brushed his cold lips against Eva's icy ones. They found each other, and pressed creating a warmth that most people would never expect to find in a couple of vampires.

"I should go back to Fangtasia…deal with Eric's wrath…" Eva sighed eventually, breaking away.

"I'll come with you…"

"We go like lambs to the slaughter…"

Laughing, they dropped down with ease to the solid ground, and bounded back to Fangtasia like deer in the spring.

The minute they stepped through the door, Lucio was grabbed by the throat and in a swift flick of Eric's wrist, hurtled against a wall. He then delivered a blow to Eva in the abdomen that sent her crashing into tables. Eric's teeth were at her throat the next moment, the cold edge of his fang pressed against her cool skin.

Good thing it was after closing time.


	32. Chapter 32

**SJ61, you are very good at reading characters. I love developing characters, especially complex imperfections, so when people really notice quirks about them, I am delighted. Also, my Dog has ADHD; he accidentally bit the end of his tail off getting too excited chasing it. Sorry your review just reminded me of that Hahaha.**

Eva screamed as Eric began to bite her for the second time. Then a pair of pale arms was around his neck pulling him back.

"Eric…You're overreacting…" shrieked the female voice behind him.

Lucio, who Eric hadn't anticipated recovering so quickly, grabbed a table led. Swinging it with ease as if it was a cat in a bag, he brought it crashing down on Eric and Pam.

Eva cried out, out of protest to her attack and to Lucio's defence. It was pure luck that the table broke cleanly; cracking into three parts as it came thundering down. Eric withdrew his fangs and he and Pam leapt deftly over the table Eva was lying on to get away from an area littered with sharp points of wood. Lucio lurched forward and grabbed Eva's arm and pulling her so forcefully she landed beside him in one leap, overstepping the vampire danger zone.

Eva looked up and Eric was growling at her, Pam clutching his arm to try and restrain him slightly. If Eric was really ready to bring the wrath of hell upon Eva, he could have shook of Pam and lunged with ease; but Eva was relieved to realise the worst of it was over. Blood matted Eric's hair, and Eva's stained his gums and normally pearly white teeth. Eva reached up to her throat where the sharp pain was diminishing to a dull ache as the wound healed.

Eric snarled again, baring his long fangs at Eva. She'd been at their mercy before when he turned her, but he'd been gentle and concerned. Now if he really savaged her, she'd know about it…

"Enough." Pam said with an air of finality. Eric growled a last soft growl, which rumbled from the back of his throat, and then retracted his fangs. Eva heard the familiar curious noise behind her as Lucio retracted his.

Eric began to pace, and Pam stood back to let him do so. His strong brow was creased into a frown and then relaxed. His eyes still stared cold and vacant into the distance. Eventually after he'd done dozen or so laps back and forth, he stopped and stared Eva in the eye directly.

"If you ever do anything like that again, I will rip your throat out fully."

Lucio's grip on Eva's arm grew tighter, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut for the moment.

"I told you this would happen," Pam chided in an exasperated voice, popping a cap of a bottle of True Blood she'd reached over the bar and got casually.

"Do not interfere," Eric snapped. "If you ever go after Sookie Stackhouse again, I will personally remove your vocal chords."

Eric shuddered at this, and Lucio felt it in his grip, which grew gentle.

"You should have told me," Eva murmured.

"I don't have to tell you ANYTHING," Eric bellowed, taking the three of them by surprise.

Eva's eyes grew blurry again, and nodding submissively, she turned and walked out. Lucio, after giving Eric a narrow look, followed her loyally.

"Spoken like a true Father to a teenage girl," Pam teased. Eric sat by her at the bar, taking a swig from her drink absentmindedly.

"Be quiet," he muttered.

"No really, you're doing a fine job of this second-time parent thing," she continued to mock.

"You turned out alright…"

"Better than alright," Pam retorted, "and completely different situation, you're hardly gaining her respect and admiration as you did me."

"I'm not fucking her either, as I did you. There's another vampire in actual apparent _love_ with the girl, as there was not with you. It's two-thousand-and-ten and she's not been liberated from a life that's oppressive to women, as it was in the case of you. If anything, I think she's had more restrictions in her life from the day we met…"

"I still say you should just do her and cut the tension."

"Because that won't complicate matters…" Eric replied sarcastically. Pam feigned mock shock.

"Eric Northman? Considering sex with a girl a _complication_ because of your _situation._ My, my, my – how you've grown."

Eric's nostrils flared and Pam walked away laughing. It was an emotional standstill between the four of them that was a dangerous place to leave things, but it became one of those situations that passed without more discussion; an argument no one can be bothered pursuing because there was nothing left to say. Eva went home to the house her and Pam now shared, and Lucio went back to his temporary nest in Baton Rouge. Pam eventually joined Eva, and Eric went back to his home. No more was discussed, everyone had got the message.

Eric knew Eva was cut deeply at his discovery of Sookie, but also knew it would take a lot for Eva to mean more to him in that way, but Eva was still his dear child (despite Eric trying to avoid affection).

Eva knew that if she went after Sookie she'd be asking for trouble, and she knew Lucio loved her more than Eric ever would.

Lucio knew it would take time for Eva to get over the emotions and instincts drilled into her blood when she was turned by Eric Northman, but eventually she would love Lucio the most.

Lastly, Pam knew Eric was her maker, Eva was her sister, and Lucio was the strange little boy intent on Eva's affections and none of these facts were revelations to her. Pam also knew, with her objective view of the situation, that the emotional worst was over. The order of things had fully been established.

Eva still had a few surprises coming her way though.

She returned to Fangtasia the next night to continue work and life as Eric's ward. Eric didn't acknowledge her at first as she took her place in the club (that night she was behind the bar, she liked bartending the best, she got to interact with people somewhat rather than sitting around being watched and silently adored by them). Eventually, a couple of hours into the working night, Eric walked out to discuss a shipping order with Pam, and Eva smiled merrily at him. It was an unexpected smile, Eric didn't think he'd get much out for her for maybe weeks and Eva didn't think she'd feel up to smiling at Eric anytime soon either, but as he walked out Eva looked up from pouring someone a gin and tonic, and out of nowhere beamed broadly at him. A bewildered look crossed Eric's face for a moment, making Eva smile more naturally. Then Eric nodded to her, a relaxed look on his face that was equal to an amicable smile for him.

The gap was bridged, and things relaxed around Fangtasia. Eric was more relaxed not worrying about Eva bumping into Sookie as he had been for so long, and Eva was relaxed knowing where she stood with everyone. Pam was relaxed a good ninety per cent of the time, and went about her business as normal.

The Saturday night, Lucio returned to Shreveport. He was looking happy and well groomed as he entered the bar, instantly seeking Eva with his eyes. Eva was sat in Eric's throne reading Cosmopolitan to annoy him. He'd instructed her she was too sit and look pretty for the night, and bored of spending hours doing nothing; Eva was biding her time with some good old girl reading material. Eric had glared at her numerous times in the night, but his control over her free will didn't extend to tell her to stop reading a magazine. So he had to put up with watching her lazily flick through and ignore clientele's gazes. Pam found it all very amusing, and was going to find her some back copies of Vogue when she was done.

Lucio smiled, and moved swiftly through the bar to perch next to her. On feeling his presence to her right, she looked up and was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't been expecting to see him again so soon, and she gleefully leaned up to give him a quick happy kiss on the cheek in welcoming.

"Is that all I get?" he teased,

"Oh, you need to learn to pace yourself," she laughed, closing the magazine and turning to sit sideways in the chair, her legs crossed in a childlike fashion so she faced him. As she was turning she made quick eye contact with Pam.

Pam gave her a disgusted look to show her what she thought of displays of affection, and Eva ignored her blissfully.

"How are you?" Lucio asked gently.

"Oh I'm fine; I need to spend some time away from this place. For a vampire spending her days in a nightclub, I sometimes feel like I have no life…"

Lucio laughed, standing up in front of her.

"Then let's go somewhere," he suggested, holding out one hand pleasantly. Eva smiled and took it, letting him lead her out the bar like a true couple. She waved goodbye to Eric who was hovering near the bar to indicate she was going out. Eric sighed.

Pam hopped up to Eric's grand seat, taking the magazine Eva had discarded by the leg of the chair and picking up where Eva left off. Upon noticing this Eric sighed again.

"I like having a teenager around the place, it's all a bit more fun," Pam laughed, pretending to submerge herself in crap sex tips to wind up Eric.

Running through the night with Lucio, Eva felt like she was fifteen again, staying out late with her friends and occasionally a boy when she should have gone home. The city was lit up and it was the first night Eva had really gone out since her bringing over.

Lucio looked antsy as they settled into a stroll and Eva had the feeling he had something to tell her.

"Where shall we go?" he asked.

"I don't mind."

"Would you like to come stay in Baton Rouge for a few nights?"

Eva's face lit up, being asked that was like a human boy asking her to meet his parents.

"I'd love too, how many of the Nevada lot are staying there right now?"

"Quite a few, Felipe's in New Orleans though so it's all a bit more relaxed, which is why I'm taking the opportunity to ask you now."

Eva leaned forward on her tip toes to kiss him slowly for a moment, and Lucio relished in the moment. He loved the feeling that Eva might begin letting go of Eric and truly opening up to him, and in return he resolved to share everything he had and knew with her.

Thinking along those lines, he drew back to say what he said next.

"I need to ask you, did either of your parents ever seem different?"

"What?" Eva laughed, baffled.

"Well, still human, but different?"

Eva stepped back from him and stared at him inquisitively.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Nothing major, just inquiring. Sometimes I wonder why we are ever so slightly different."

Eva nodded, as they began walking again. The air was crisp, a winter's night time where the lights illuminate the darkness in the most beautiful way.

"We have a greater self control; I think that's about it," she said slowly.

"And a greater consciousness, of what we are and so on. It wasn't our makers that told us to abstain from drinking was it?"

Eva nodded again thoughtfully.

"My Mother sometimes seemed different, when I consciously think back, somehow more upbeat. Almost glowing at times," he continued.

"My Mother and Father always seemed normal, until they split up."

"They divorced? That's tough."

"It was, very. I was only eight. My Mother had been having an ongoing affair apparently."

Lucio's eyebrows raised at this, as Eva stopped to gaze at the sky thoughtfully. It had been a while since she thought back that far.

"I was always pretty ashamed of my Mother for that, as I loved my Father dearly. I split my time between both of them, but when I heard that, my heart belonged more to my father."

"Your father took good care of you?"

"Yes," she smiled. "I'm lucky; I've always had a man that's been there to take good care of me."

They were paused on an empty street corner, and Lucio took her hand happily.

"As you know, I never knew my father," Lucio told her. Eva nodded. "And my Mother was an alcoholic. She used to disappear for nights at a time sometimes when I was young, and I grew very independent. I never questioned out loud where she went, presuming she was in a drunken stupor somewhere. I always worried of course. For the amount she drank though, she was never physically ill. She was never worn or ragged the way your usual alcoholic is."

Eva was slightly confused, but leaning against the wall, she listened to the rest of his tale.

"She was a very beautiful woman, and approached constantly, but she shied away from all men. Sometimes I wonder if she was scared of the consequences of being with another guy."

Eva was beyond confused now.

"She sometimes had funny mental turns though, ranting about mad things. Sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for hours on end. She spoke of abnormal things, the devil, demons and so on. I thought she was possessed one scary day, like the kid out of _the exorcist_. As I got older I just decided alcoholism made her mentally unstable…"

"Then the great revelation. Vampires, us, came out the coffin so to speak…" Eva added, catching the vague drift of his story now.

"Yes, now V had always been around, just the only way to get it before it was on the common black market was to have an affair with a vampire that would let you take blood in return. The only people who had the drug before it was widely known, was those with a blood bond with a vampire."

"I'm confused again…" Eva admitted. "Are you trying to tell me your Fathers a vampire or something?"

"No," Lucio snorted. "That's biologically impossible, don't be stupid. I'm suggesting that my Mother had a blood bond with a vampire, before or while she was pregnant with me."

Eva was quiet. She literally didn't know what to say.

"And I'm suggesting your Mother may have as well," Lucio added gently.

More minutes passed, and Eva stared at the foggy road with glazed over eyes.

"Eva, say something."

"I think I'm choking," she whispered through gritted teeth.

"You're a vampire, even if I strangled you, you wouldn't choke."

"Be quiet," she chided. "I'm having a moment."

Lucio nodded, struggling to suppress a smile, and leaned against the wall beside her while she entered downtime, her mind reeling.

Eventually, she showed signs of life again.

"My Mother had an affair with a vampire?"

"Possibly."

"My Mother had a blood bond…WITH A VAMPIRE?" she shrieked, startling some people on the opposite side of the street.

"Like I said possibly, a blood bond or ingest vampire blood…"

"This is madness…"

"Actually it's quite logical…"

"Who came up with this bright idea?" Eva demanded.

"Victor had the theory. After he turned me, he started doing some investigating into other vampires like me. It took a while, but eventually he found one who had known his Mother had shared blood with a vampire. Of course at the time it was a secret, the whole vampire thing was a secret. Now it's out in the open, individuals can come forward and say, I had an encounter with these creatures."

"Thoughtful of him, Eric just called me a freak and went on with life…or rather afterlife. So you're saying…I don't even know what to make of it…"

"Look it's just a theory; there could be whole other reasons behind it. We could just be weirdo's, but if it's right, it means that from the day we were born we had a little bit of vampire in us."

"We were…literally born to become vampires?"

"Yes, to fit in amongst them anyways. That's why we attract their attention I think, and why when we were turned it was a less difficult transaction. Although, born to be vampires; that's a very poetic way of putting it though."

Eva went quiet again; this took a lot of chewing over.

Lucio sighed and looked at his watch.

"We won't have time to get to Baton Rouge before dawn, but I'll pick you up tomorrow night, okay?"

Eva nodded silently.

"Right, I'll get you back to Fangtasia."

Lucio took her hand and walked her back through the streets in her shaken state.

Though, when they got back to the club, something was wrong. Neither could hear the normal buzz of people inside, and it was slightly before closing time. They normally had people in right until they closed, when they had to kick them out. There was a tension in the air and, shrugging of her shock, Eva became alert and walked in front of Lucio.

"No," he whispered, holding her arm and pulling her back. "I smell blood."

Eva nodded, she could smell it too. Her knees were weakening at the alluring scent. Gripping Lucio's hand, they leapt on the roof and clambered silently around the back, entering the bar cautiously. From the back hallway they could see some of the normal clientele were still in the bar, only silently huddled behind the bar top and tables and chairs. Eva and Lucio tiptoed into the main bar area, the scent of blood growing stronger.

In the middle of the dance floor, Eric was bent over one whimpering human, his fangs sunk deep in his neck. Pam and Indira, who had been bar tending that night, were bent over another female. Indira was drinking her by the neck, Pam from the inner thigh, which was a disturbing sight to see so brutally displayed. Eva gasped, and Pam rose from feeding, her eyes ablaze with lust and greed and anger. Her mouth was stained with red, and her fangs gleamed pink in the light. She looked truly barbaric.

Through gritted teeth she hissed to Eva before returning to her obviously way to engaging meal, "Track them."

Bottles on the bar were smashed, and tables over turned. There was blood splattered on the walls and alcohol spilled on the floor. Eva could detect the smell of a third body, pretty much fully drained somewhere in the building. It was an absolutely grotesque sight she hadn't been expecting and she had to consciously drag her eyes away. When Pam hissed her instructions though, she and Lucio nodded.

Exiting the bar, they smelled the air and the ground like blood hounds. After a moment, they looked at each other, and then ran eastward away from the city.


	33. Chapter 33

**I am so sorry it's taken SO long, I was in Hospital for a week after having an asthma attack, then I had to catch up on all my college work and it's just been hectic. But thank you everyone who's messaged, I do have to warn – this may not end up ericxOC. I'm undecided on where I'm taking this yet, it could go on another ten chapters, end in the next. I'll see, but for now the stories brought me to this point.**

"What are we doing exactly?" Eva hissed, as Lucio took her hand and led her silently through the shadows of the streets.

"We're tracking, like true vampires," he whispered, sniffing the air. "I can smell blood; someone's spilt blood…that'll be who we're after…"

"So someone attacked Fangtasia?" she asked in a low voice.

"Pretty sure…"

"Foolish thing to do, surely?"

"Pretty foolish, yes…" he agreed, taking a long drawn inhale. Eventually, he turned slightly northward and continued to run. Eva followed him, the wind whipping her hair round her shoulders. It rose and fell as she almost skimmed the pavement in her vampire's grace.

The night was cold, but their tough skin was barely afflicted, Eva's scarce clothing whipped round her as she ran and Lucio's pressed to him in the wind. They made beautiful graceful silhouettes as they slunk in the cold dark night. Eva could smell the blood herself now, whoever had gotten away was close. She could name a dozen people off the top of her head who'd attack Fangtasia, what she couldn't understand was why now. It wasn't even near Dawn, so they'd be fully awake and alert. The bar was full of people, human and vampire alike. And anyone who knew Eric would know that he would bring down pain and suffering to any that did him wrong.

Lucio stopped suddenly, gripping Eva's arm. They'd covered the distance created between them and the Fangtasia attacker with ease, but now the scent was fading. Eva and Lucio stiffened, alert. Eva was confused, one minute the scent was there, next it had all but vanished. Lucio suddenly bent to whisper to her.

"He must have got in a car."

Eva growled at thing air. She remembered Eric rearing his head like a beast, and bidding her to catch him. As his child, when Eric said do it, she did it. She had a scary moment wondering whether she followed his orders just because he was her maker, then as Lucio squeezed her hand and they started to run, she was sure.

"I think he's driving north…"

"How do you know this?" Eva laughed.

"You need to start learning to us your senses…"

"Well to learn is to be taught," she retorted, as they turned a corner. There were scarce and few humans on the streets at that time, and the ones they passed they passed as a strange blur. The buildings were growing less as well.

"I'll give you some lessons in the fine art of vampirism…"

"You can do that as a degree now, I'm sure…"

"Focus."

"Right, yeah."

They were leaving the city, and running along a wide highway, surrounded by trees and wide country. Eva felt free running along the outskirts of the wide road, free and excited. She could smell the scent of blood again as the lights of cars and pickup trucks drove by. She recognized that they were nearer, and was proud of 'using her senses'

"That car…" Lucio suddenly stated, outdoing Eva's growing tracking skills. They could have been hurling the car of the road in an instant, but that wouldn't be too conspicuous.

Waiting until a sleek corvette over took it, leaving it in wide berth of the other few cars on the road, Eva and Lucio leapt, and as they landed they rocked the car with a thud. They could almost smell the instant fear of the driver, who subconsciously stepped on the pedal. Eva looked at Lucio, for indication on their next move but he was staring at the roof of the car beneath them with a vexed look on his face.

"Listen to that?"

"Listen to what?"

"Vampirism lesson one, listen beyond all the obvious noise," he instructed with a smile. Eva nodded and following his somewhat confusing statement, she listened intently. Beyond the hum of cars, and whipping of the wind round her ears, she heard a much less obvious noise.

"Ticking?"

"Precisely."

Eva felt a grim reality draw over her.

"I'm sure no bomb expert, I hope you know a thing or two…" Lucio sighed.

"Yeah, sure, I did a bomb squad night course when I could get the evening of work, don't talk rubbish…"

"Always the red wire?"

"Oh shut up," she snarled, panic bubbling in her voice. "How indestructible are we?"

"I don't know, I'd rather not test our limits…" Eva stared at him, the pair of them at a loss. "We could…no…I suppose…"

"Oh, fuck it."

Eva clawed at the roof, and tore it off with a surge of power – without even breaking a nail. She relished in feeling the metal rip at the mercy of her bare hands. It was mind-bogglingly exciting, and she decided she'd recommend car tearing-up as a recreational activity and distressing exercise before remembering not everyone could rip the roofs and doors and bonnets of vehicles.

The pale boy inside looked positively terrified, and as he looked up at Eva, re directed his eyes away from the road. Driving at the speed he was driving at, he swerved slightly, then swerved clear of the road. Eva and Lucio were hurled from the top as the red hatchback hit a tree.

Eva rolled clear of the roof and into a small clearing beside the tree, but was quick to roll to her feet. Lucio had hit the tree as he flew from the sudden impact, and landed with a thud on the ruined bonnet of the car. The young boy had been saved by an airbag, but an airbag wouldn't save him from the two vampires that were on their feet in seconds and pulling him savagely out the car.

The ticking was loud and clear now, and Eva grimaced as she saw the bulky shapes beneath his jacket.

"Lucio…" she whispered cautiously.

"I know, I know," he growled, letting go of the scruff of his neck so he clattered to the ground. Eva's heart jolted in anxiety, Lucio wasn't being careful enough.

The boy was freckly and skinny. Well, his legs were skinny; his top half was covered by the ticking threat and a waterproof jacket. He needed a haircut badly, and his nails needed trimming. All in all he looked like a mummy's boy who'd been wandering the streets for a few days. Eva processed these thoughts in a matter of seconds, and then turned her attention to their next move. She found herself salivating through as the smell of blood wafted in the air. It was then she noticed the daring smirk that had grown on the boys face.

He must have been in a lot of pain, as his leg was gashed and bled horribly. Eva realised this must have been from the car crash, or from when Lucio ripped him out his seat. She then remembered the strong smell of blood from before. It clicked into place.

She glared at Lucio, warning him to stay back, and stepped over the boy. He didn't make any sudden moves, but maintained eye contact with a cocky look. Eva slowly bent down and unzipped his jacket, and had to step back to hold her breath.

His arms were slashed, his chest was cut into, and his t shirt was soaked with blood beneath the wires and canisters that slotted together to form the ticking danger.

Lucio bit his lip, and a rumbling growl formed in his throat. Eva was choking on the blood in the air. She understood the situation now.

He was bait, pure bait. The minute a vampire lost control to the slashed arteries and blood stains he sported, they'd be dead meat, victim to the silver chain encased, high impact bomb. Therefore, Eric had sent the two most blood controlled vampires he'd ever met to deal with the situation.

"Go on vamp tramp," the ragged boy snarled in a hoarse, struggling voice, with a slurred voice that suggested he was mildly intoxicated – which would explain his stupidity and lack of finesse behind the wheel. "Try and drain me, you'll be dead before you die."

Eva laughed a deep genuine laugh that took them by surprise.

"It's your unlucky day – you're with two vamp dieters."

"Even dieters succumb eventually," he mocked. "And when they do, they fall the hardest."

As Eva turned, Lucio was taking a step forward, his eyes filled with madness and desperation.

**Again, forgive my long long long delay. I'm home now, writing essays and doing art work and memorising Japanese verbs a mile a minute to catch up at college, but taking a while out to write so you guys don't think I'm dead or plain lazy ;)**


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you everyone for your kind messages :D**

"Lucio…?"

Lucio took another step forward, his eyes glowering as they flickered between Eva and the silly adolescent. Eva in turn, took a tentative step forward between them. The self-inflicted torture was having its desired effect; Lucio was becoming mad with blood lust – the one person Eva thought had self control that paralleled hers.

"Lucio, calm down," she whispered as gently and loving as she could manage.

"Don't get in my way," he growled in a voice sinister and new.

"We need to just walk away…"

"You've tasted blood; you don't understand what it's like to never be satiated."

Eva thought back to her brief bite, she'd hardly call that satiated, but she realised she shouldn't be listening to his mindless arguments while he was in this state. Taking a bold step between Lucio and the shaking but confident faced martyr, Eva released a low warning growl. Lucio had a few years on her, but Eva could take him if she had her wits about her and he didn't.

There was a pregnant pause as Lucio snarled at her, his eyes a deep dark reddish brown. They seemed stony and far away, giving Lucio a dark expression Eva never thought she'd see on the gentle boy. They suddenly started to clear, his gaze beginning to focus.

Behind Eva, the boy was scrabbling at the earth to pull himself upright.

"We need to just go back and leave all this," she whispered, stepping forward slowly. Eva decided the best approach was a gentle one. She reached to take Lucio's hand.

The boy ripped the last shred of his trouser leg away, and clawed at the wound until his finger felt the jagged shard of metal from the car door that had injured him so badly. With a gut wrenching shriek of pain, he ripped it out.

Eva was hurled sideways, and Lucio sprang forward. Eva was on her feet as she landed, and threw herself on Lucio to pull him back. The blood flow from the boy's leg was beginning to cloud even Eva's senses, but she mentally talked to herself to keep her mind of it. She thought of Lucio as she struggled with him. She thought of meeting him for the first time.

_"Miss Hunter?" a glassy voice inquired. Eva didn't jump this time, she was almost getting use to these people taking her by surprise._

_"Yes, that's me." Her eyes met a new vampire as she looked upwards. He was incredibly attractive, she imagined Spanish originally as his skin, while still having that dusty quality, was somewhat coloured and his almond eyes we're more gentle than some of the others._

Yes, she'd mentally remarked on how handsome he was. This boy she was wrestling away from certain death. She never imagined she could take on a male, never the less a male vampire, but there she was. He was mindlessly throwing himself towards the source of the blood, so Eva had the advantage of quick thinking to block his advances. The boy was bleeding to death as they fought not metres from his body. His eyes were becoming glassy and his deep moans of pain were lulling to murmurs. His blood though, there was so much of it. It smelt so sweet.

_"I am Lucio." Definitely Spanish. "I work for Felipe de Castro and am here to talk to you tonight about his proposition."_

_"Do you know your name means light?" Eva said absentmindedly. He gave a short boyish chuckle, out of character of your typical vampire. Eva wondered if he was still young, turned recently. There seemed to be more gentleness and life in his eyes than the others, but maybe it was more about attitude or how much they fed rather than age. She wasn't that in the loop on vamps._

_"No I did not, how do you know that?" he inquired, taking her hand and leading her towards the bar._

_"I ended up watching a Spanish novella one afternoon, with subtitles of course, and a character, Lucio, was talking about his name. When you work in the night and sleep for the first half of the day, you find yourself watching crap daytime telly a lot. Not to say Spanish television is crap, just this particular show…"_

_Lucio gave another laugh, deeper and longer this time, as they walked through the bar and settled on stools._

_"You are quite entertaining Miss Hunter."_

It was like remembering a dream, thinking back on this defining moment within her human life. They'd joked, and she'd been the distracted absent minded girl she'd always been. When she became vampire, she thought faster, became more focused. She missed not knowing what would come out her mouth next. The only time she found herself at ease and having a truly casual conversation was with Lucio. She didn't have to think everything through so much. It was easy, natural.

She'd noted the sweetness and gentility in his eyes that still made her comfortable and happy now.

He clawed at her to get free of her. She was sat atop him, pinning him down with all her strength, while he struggled against her. She batted him away quickly and suddenly, remembering his loveliness, felt a determination to calm him back to the old Lucio she knew and loved, loved so much.

The boy was good as dead behind them, his face paler than when they'd first pulled him out the car. He was also silent and still. So much blood, they could drain him…he was dead anyway…

No, they'd be dead if they tucked in.

Eva decided she was sick of wrestling with him. She suspected a small part of him was holding back from ripping her head off, as he could so easily. She raised her wrist to her mouth, which meant removing it from holding Lucio down. He took advantage of this and threw her off. She bit down on her wrist as she landed with a thud on her back. Lucio threw himself at the corpse and the bomb, and Eva threw herself once again at him. As she grabbed him, she pressed her already healing wrist against his fang bearing mouth.

Lucio latched on, biting deeper to open up the closing wound some more. Eva gritted her teeth as he drank from her desperately, and pulled him back while he was distracted from another source of blood. They stumbled backwards, Eva trying not to yelp from the slight pain, and Lucio so greatly preoccupied.

They spent a few minutes, Lucio consuming her blood, sucking deeply from her wrist. Eva was beginning to feel feint, which she didn't think Vampires could, but he'd taken so much from her and she didn't drink blood to begin with. She pulled away from him, and he held onto her for a while then let her back away and sit down on the cold ground.

Lucio's eyes flooded with sweetness and calm once more as he stared at Eva, whose head was reeling from a massive blood loss. Lucio could still smell the salivating smell of blood from the boy's corpse, but his senses were somewhat more about him now, and he took notice of the situation.

He bent down before Eva, brushing her hair from her face to smile at her gratefully. Eva was feeling a great surge of love for him despite the fact he'd almost just drank her dry, and she meekly let him take care of her as he scooped her up gently and took the pair of them away from the ticking bomb and corpse that was the source of so much trouble.


	35. Chapter 35

**Sj61 asked me if I had anyone in mind when I created Lucio's character, a celebrity or someone who he'd resemble. The answer would be no, I just like my characters to have interesting ethnicities. I'm a bit of a mongrel myself, I'm English nationality, but ethnically part Indian, Bangladeshi, Portuguese, and German. I love choosing an ethnicity for a character, it's as exciting as choosing a name to me. As it is, when I get a review from someone in a foreign country I get stupidly excited, hahaa ;)**

"You realise you have a blood bond of sorts now…" Eric grunted quietly and thoughtfully as Eva recounted the story to him over a drink. Lucio had carried her all the way back and heated her some True Blood immediately. He'd offered himself to her on the way but she'd declined and just told him to take her back to Fangtasia and snuggled against his chest. He was now sat behind Eva, the pair of them across the table from Eric and Pam.

"I hadn't thought of that…" Eva replied with a small smile. As she nursed her True Blood with one hand, Lucio squeezed her other under the table.

"You have a blood bond…with _him…_" Eric repeated.

"Sad to lose me for good?" Eva taunted, her smile growing into a full beaming grin. Pam was also grinning as she always was when Eva was winding Eric up.

"You can do what you want; I'm just pointing it out."

"Of _course_ you are. You have a blood bond with Sookie, and I have one with Lucio. We're all where we belong." Despite just teasing him, she reflected back on her words and realised the truth in them. It was like pieces of an angry jumbled puzzle slotting into place now.

"And Pam's still free and promiscuous," Lucio added, bemused by Eric's annoyance and somewhat gloating as he shifted slighter closer to Eva.

"Way I roll baby," Pam retorted with a wink.

Eric scoffed and got up angrily to stamp outside. Lucio and Pam sighed, but Eva followed him, intent on finishing the conversation that had been needed for so very long.

When their situation was ignored after Eva found out about Sookie, it was like everyone was holding their breath rather than exhaling in relief.

They needed a _resolve_.

The night was close to meeting dawn, and very soon they'd have to retire to their coffins. Eric stood outside staring at the darkness, blood still staining his face where he'd savaged the martyr boy's friends. Things like that barely fazed Eva anymore, the grotesque violence seemed to come part and package with the lifestyle.

"You sent me and Lucio to deal with him because you thought we had to most restraint?" Eva confirmed as she stood next to him, staring straight ahead as he was.

"Yes. I was being strategic."

"Yeah…Good one…" Eva huffed sarcastically. Eric turned to her with his eyebrows raised.

"Everything turned out okay, did it not?"

"Almost."

"Almost?"

"It's like we're coming to the end of a story," Eva sighed, taking his hand in a gentle way. More maternal than romantic.

"What do you mean?" Eric inquired, allowing the strange show of normal affection. Normally affection to Eric was just a step along to pathway to sex, but that couldn't apply here. Never the less, he let Eva have the closeness she so desired with those around her. He'd learnt a lot about women in his long life, and he could recognize the signs of vulnerability and yearning from a woman – especially in a young girl who'd lost so much and been through so much savagery.

"When I found out you we're pledged to Sookie…that you had a blood bond with her…I was so deeply struck. So distraught…"

"I remember…" Eric interrupted with a smug smile.

"And now me and Lucio have formed a weird blood sharing bond of sorts…I having his blood when we fought before, and he drinking mine earlier tonight…now we're a part of one another…you too feel distraught?"

"Yes." Eric was being blunt but honest.

"You love me?"

"I can't help but love you. You are my own blood; you are a part of me more than you and Lucio are a shared. It is the way it works, and you love me. Its biological love."

"Exactly, though our situation didn't stem from nothing. Would we still be together if you hadn't saved me that night from Russell Edgington though? If I were still human, my life not endangered every half hour of every night, would you have carried on and forgotten about me?"

"Maybe, we'll never know. You may have chosen the Spanish boy over me then as well."

"Maybe, we'll never know."

There was a quiet moment that washed over them as the sounds of the city night time buzzed around them.

"If I left Sookie now and you left Lucio…it wouldn't feel right…"

"No, because we love them in a different way to the way you and I love one another."

"If I didn't have Sookie, and met you in a series of events that didn't involve that boy…"

"Then maybe we'd have fallen in love with each other properly."

"You say the word love to much."

Eva laughed a gentle laugh that pierced the silence, and Eric took great comfort in it. It was a sweet laugh, a feminine laugh. The laugh of loving girl, who was naïve at times and impressively smart at others. Who loved her life, but realised when she lost it, that wallowing in misery would get her nowhere – and it was this optimism that was wonderful. She had pretty dark eyes, and long chestnut coloured hair, and skin like silk, but what made her beautiful was her sweetness, her courage, her loving nature. Eva was sometimes strange, and said things that were a bit off topic. She was sometimes a bit lost in the world. She was sometimes a bit thoughtless and silly. At the end of the day though, she found her way.

"It's not the end of a story," Eric said in his deep voice, in a moment of rare sincereness. "It's the end of a chapter."

Eva thought this over for a moment.

"No, the end of many chapters, the definite end of a story."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes…the end of a story leaves you at an entirely different place than where I started, and I definitely am. New stories begin where others leave off though."

"That sounds very poetic."

"Thank you."

There was another pause, Eric's eyes sad and sincere. He didn't hold the same dominant stance he normally did.

"You know," he said slowly. "When I first made Pam, emotion was beyond us. It was utterly new, an absolutely unknown feeling. It was strange and amazing, but it took me and Pam a long time to get to a point where it was comfortable to say, 'be careful out there, I love you too much.' It took us decades to even broach the subject of love. Yet here with you, its my second time round and I find myself at ease to allow an affection…when others aren't around of course…"

Eric's speech warmed Eva, and she squeezed his hand with a smile. When he looked down to her, her eyes round and bright, it was like looking at a child he sought to protect and make feel safe.

They stared at each other for a fraction of a second before Eric leaned in to kiss her briefly on her forehead. Eva closed her eyes for a second or two, and then they parted.

"I once heard, it is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices." Eva said quietly. "I suppose that applies pretty well here, continuing on the lines of being poetic."

"I can't believe you're quoting Harry Potter to me, the millennia old Viking vampire, Eric Northman."

"I can't believe you know it's from Harry Potter, the millennia old Viking vampire, Eric Northman."

"I knew this witch once that was childishly fond of it and…"

"Don't make excuses," Eva teased. "Hang on…a w...Witch?"

"Yes?"

"They exist…?"

"Yes."

"Hogwarts…exists…"

"No…that would be utterly stupid," Eric chided exasperated. Here were the other moments Eva reminded him of a child.

"But witches do exist?"

"Yes, it seems you still have a long learning curve ahead of you."

"And that you have a secret appreciation for the Harry Potter films."

"I was just curious what the human world would make of the concept…I found it…funny…" he snarled.

"Sure you did."

Eric growled at her, and then turned to stalk back inside. His hand slipped from Eva's as he walked away, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

She stood in the night-time, as she would always be in the night-time. Pam came out to see if she was okay. Eric came out once more to tell her he was having her drink. Then Lucio slipped out, wrapped his arms round her waist, and kissed her neck.

"I have to leave, it's almost dawn."

"Okay," Eva replied curtly, staring at the sky with an intent that scared Lucio.

"I can stay with you if you like for a while…"

"No its fine, your authority might be angry if you disappear without telling them, might worry."

"Good point…I'll be back tomorrow night."

"Yes," Eva said bluntly again. Lucio was about to run off, but Eva caught his hand for a moment and pulled him back. "I love you, now wholly and completely."

"That's good to hear," Lucio said with a smile, catching the significance of her words before he kissed her goodbye and ran into the night.

Eva remained stood outside though, as the blackness of the sky began to dissolve to paler blue.

She wished she could peek into the day; just see the sunlight for a moment. She wished she could say goodbye to it, relish her last moments with its warmth on her skin.

Eric and Pam left Fangtasia, saying goodbye to her, confused as why she was still stood there but not questioning it. Pam assumed she'd be sleeping somewhere else for the night when Eva didn't leave with her and left for the home her and Eva shared. Vampires didn't normally ask questions.

The last dregs of night were fading away, and Eva's skin began to prickle.

She was testing the boundaries of her life and she knew it, but in her heart, she felt it was totally worth it.

The pale yellow of the dawn broke through the skyline, the cloud being tinted pastel shades of orange and pink above the rising sun. Eva skin burned an unbearable pain.

Her body seared and scorched, but she continued watched the beginnings of the sunrise and cherished every single moment of it. Her knees became weak, and her vision began to blur. The smell of burning had become so strong in so little time.

The thought occurred to her that she could just remain there. It popped into her mind for just a second, before passing on. Eva had been gifted with a new life, that wasn't designed to meet its end but in that modern world, she'd run into trouble eventually. At some point in her long life, she may meet a sticky end. Why waste the years she'd been given, the opportunities to love and live she'd been given.

She turned her back on the sunlight and walked inside sun proof Fangtasia, weak and shaky from her moment in the light, but strong hearted. The last fraction of day she'd ever see was warm (and burning) on her back for the last time. She looked to her long new life of nighttimes and excitement, which could only be eventful after the life she'd lived recently.

**And there's where I leave her.**

**Thank you for all your reviews, messages, and for following my story. **


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